SanDisk Extreme Pro SSDs Plagued by Design Flaws

Recent investigations by a data recovery firm have revealed that design and manufacturing defects are to blame for the widespread failures of SanDisk Extreme Pro solid-state drives (SSDs). This issue has led to a class action lawsuit against Western Digital, the parent company of SanDisk.

The problems with SanDisk Extreme Pro SSDs, particularly the 4TB model, came to light in May, with users experiencing sudden data loss. Western Digital promised a firmware update for the 4TB model but remained silent on the 2TB and 3TB variants, which reportedly suffer from the same issue.

Hardware Issues Identified

Attingo, a data recovery company, shared insights into the problem. Markus Häfele, the managing director, noted that the issue is hardware-related, not firmware, possibly explaining the absence of firmware updates for the affected models.

Attingo, with over 25 years in the business, frequently encounters failed SanDisk Extreme Pro SSDs. The flaw seems to stem from oversized components causing weak connections and high temperatures, alongside poor-quality soldering prone to forming bubbles and breaking.

Newer versions of these SSDs have been modified with additional epoxy resin to secure the components. This alteration suggests Western Digital might be aware of the hardware issues. Yet, even these revised models are failing, leading to a continuous demand for data recovery services.

Multiple Products Affected

According to Attingo, this problem isn't confined to a single product but affects various SanDisk lines, including the Extreme Portable SSD and the Extreme Pro Portable SSD.

Western Digital's approach to addressing these failures and communicating with customers has been questioned. The Verge reported in August that the SanDisk Extreme 3TB SSDs were prone to sudden data loss. Further, questions raised to Western Digital about the sale of potentially flawed storage and the offer of free data recovery services have gone unanswered.

Criticism Takes a Toll

NAND memory-based drives, like the SanDisk Extreme Pro SSDs, can lose data due to various factors, including manufacturing defects. These issues are more common in low-quality or counterfeit products but are unexpected in SSDs from reputable brands aimed at professional users.

While the sudden data loss in some SanDisk Extreme Pro SSDs is concerning, another issue is Western Digital's inadequate communication about these problems. Efforts to obtain comments from the company have been unsuccessful.

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