HP Pavilion 9000 series hinge break and burn problem

Is there any lawsuit or class action for this problem where the notebooks crack and break at the base of the screen,

My computer is 13 months pasy purchase date but a computer should not crack open and I see it has happened to thousands?

I believe that, due to the fact that the thing turns into a hotplate, the sheer heat caused the hinge located right over the exhaust fan to completely crumble inside of 5 months of delicate use. The side where the lock is located has split, exposing the LCD. I have not even battle tested this thing and it's just dry rotting at the hinge. I insisted on a full refund including taxes and was told by a case agent that I could only get a prorated refund of up to 75% on my money, not including taxes. He did, however, offer me another model (beefed up), or even a new dv9000 series replacement (not sure if he'd beef that one up) and he offered to extend a longer warranty at no cost. Now, that sounds very reasonable, however, I have completely lost faith in the build quality of their products and the primary solution for me is a full and total refund including taxes. Then i get to go purchase a brand of my choice and not be bound to HP. I purchased this laptop in Feb 07 and by Jul 07 it's lid has cracked and if the lid drifts back too far, the monitor clearly starts phasing different colors because the electrical connections are being stressed.

More information about this issue...

HP notebook hinge crack
Zion, IL
By A.B. Dada

UPDATE: Please read this update regarding a class action lawsuit against HP.

UPDATE Feb 27, 2008: Over 10,000 people have visited this site since September 2007. Over 1500 people have emailed me with their problems! If you get ANY positive advice from this blog, please consider donating to keep it running.

UPDATE Aug 20, 2008: We now have over 1360 comments by people just like you with hinge cracks on their HP dv9000, dv6000 and recently dv8000 series notebooks. I have personally responded to over 2000 emails. I've deleted over 22,000 spam comments. In 11 months, we've had 35,000 visitors to this site. I've received about $400 in contributions from those this site helps — if you receive help because of our fine visitors and this site overall, would you consider a $10 contribution to me? Every bit helps, and I'm spending well over an hour a day maintaining this simple site, 11 months after I first created it. You're not alone with this problem. HP refuses to admit there's a problem, but even new models are experiencing it. I don't run this site for money (if I did, I'd earn about 60 cents an hour!), I run this to help you. Please continue reporting what's happening to you.

I purchased an HP dv9000 notebook from Best Buy (actual model number is dv9035nr) in March 2007. The process and fan are located on the left rear of the notebook, and when the processor is under higher stress (rendering 3D graphics, ripping large postscript files to print, etc), the notebook gets HOT in the left rear corner.

Overall, the notebook is excellent and I am very happy with it. Just this past week, though, the left hinge where the security hole is located cracked off completely. I can't open or close the laptop without going very slowly, but the notebook is working at this point.

I purchased a Best Buy PSP (service plan) for 3 years. I took the notebook to Best Buy today and they told me the turn around time is generally 2.5 to 4 weeks. I decided to start this website in hopes of finding others who have the same problem, so we can let people know the issue exists. A simple google search found me two to four people (at least) who had this same problem with the HP dv9000 notebook: cracked hinges.

If you have the same problem, please post a comment and let me know the model number, how old it is, and how extreme the crack is. I'll add more posts as I find more people with the same problem. Feel free to link to this site if you blog about your own issues.

If you look to the left sidebar at the top, there are a bunch of different posts regarding the growing situation. I've also received literally hundreds of emails about the same problem. Please post your experience in any of the comment sections of the various posts. If you get resolution on any issue, please post a follow up!

As of August 20, 2008, a few people have posted or contacted me that they are now having hinge crack issues with MORE HP notebook series, including the HP dv2000 hinge crack and the HP dv5000 hinge crack. I am not familiar with these models, but have created new articles for you to comment on if these are indeed your models and they're experiencing hinge cracks.

HP notebook hinge crack | Notebook Hinge Crack


A reader, who shall remain anonymous, sent me their dv9000 last week. I took it apart, and it is definitely a design flaw, not an abuse issue. The processor fan has no easy filter replacement, so it gets gunked up with MINOR dirt and dust. There is no easy way to clean the filter. Over time, a tiny (tiny!) amount of dust causes the processor to heat up significantly. This heat destroys a tiny sliver of plastic near the security hole, which causes the problem. As that sliver breaks off into tiny pieces (from heat), the hinge has nothing to sit in, basically causing the terrible popping sound, the left edge of the screen pushing out, and the need to hold the screen bevel tight as you slowly close the notebook.

It seems as if this problem still exists in recent dv9000 models, so I would be cautious in purchasing another one. I absolutely love my dv9000, though, because it is a great notebook. I used compressed air to try to blow out my processor dust, and it did make a slight difference. In the past, the notebook would get extremely warm within 10 minutes of use, now it takes over an hour. This means that you CAN slow down the effect of the design flaw, but you can not fix it. The heat level generated by the faulty "filter" and air flow will always cause your hinge to fail. I believe in the next 3-4 weeks we will see hundreds of people finding this site, as more and more people exhibit the same problem.

There are probably thousands of people out there who are going to spend $300-$400 needlessly fixing this design flaw. This means millions of dollars for HP that should be covered by a warranty.

I am currently discussing the options with a legal advisor, who currently says that design flaws such as these should trump warranty periods, if it is an obvious problem that rears its head before the normal warranty runs out. If he tells me we have a case, and HP refuses to fix anyone's notebook, we will move forward to promote the website heavier and find resolution for all of us. At this point, I am refusing to send my notebook in. I have spent over 150 hours of my own time tracking people down, finding solutions, working on dead notebooks, and talking with various tech support reps. I am no longer going to be without my notebook for 3-4 weeks, since I am the head figure in getting things going.

If anyone is interested in supporting a move for more resolution, I'll post details of a small fundraiser to pay for a lawyer to review all the cases. The lawyer I have dealt with in the past charges a fair $1000 to get everything together, and then a flat fee (instead of a percentage). I hate class action lawsuits, the lawyers win, and we lose. I want resolution for everyone, not a $37 check from HP that does nothing. We need to tell others about this problem, so please link to this site on blogs and forums if someone else complains about this very problem. The more people that discover that this is a design flaw, the better the result of communications with HP about fixing it.
Again, this is a design flaw, not an abuse issue. It is a flaw in the entire dv9000 line that up to now still does not look to be fixed in design. My recommendation to HP is an easy fix, but I won't give it to them without a significant payment up front — this is something that designers should be prepared for, not end users.

My recommendation if you have't had the hinge crack: blow out your processor air flow holes with compressed air with the notebook off, and wait 10 minutes to turn it back on. Compressed air is EXPENSIVE, around $5 per bottle, but doing it twice a day (once before booting up, once after powering down) should push the problem out of your hair for a little while.
FWIW, I use over 12 notebooks on a regular basis, and this is the only one with this dastardly error.

HP dv9000 & dv6000 notebook hinge crack results | Notebook Hinge Crack

See also...

dv9205us HP Pavilion Laptop Hinge crack in 5 months

Aug 01 '07

dv9205us HP Pavilion Laptop Hinge crack in 5 months - What Should I Know About HP Notebooks in General? - Epinions.com

Hello,
Is there any lawsuit or class action for this problem where the notebooks crack and break at the base of the screen, and internet?

My computer is 15 months old and I cannot go on the wireless internet!!!!

I am ready to join the lawsuit or class action. BTW I called HP Customer service and they are f***** idiots and no luck!!!!

Let me know!!!!
Thanks,
M.

I believe there is a significant problem with the several series of HP notebooks incluing the dv9000. It has to do with the heat management of the computer. The processor gets far too hot. This issue manifested in several symptoms. The mechanical (hinge break) is the most obvious. But more nefarious is the outright motherboard failure, usually preceded by wireless failure (AMD models) and/or Video issues (Both AMD and Intel). I venture to guess that the motherboard cannot handle the graphics card or something along those lines. HP KNOWS about this as evident here:
HP Limited Warranty Service Enhancement*
However, they have limited their responsibilty to the AMD version of the computers. But as I have spent 10s of hours researching this, it appears to me the problem spans most models, including the Intel Centrino models like mine. An HP customer service rep implied very deliberatly (and somewhat under his breath) that I should keep preasuring them to extend my warranty because this should not happen to a computer that is only 15 months old. I think the bean counters may believe the cost of fixing outways the possibility of a lawsuit. I hope we can get some help on this. We should expect more from companies like HP.

I have the same problem, i baught a new HP pavilion 9000 series and my hinge broke last week.

Please e-mail me if you have any info about his issue.

info@liquidsound.ca

Im fustrated with HP.

Have a Refurb HP dv9000.
Purchased this in 2006.
Had the left hinge crack aprox 13 months later, after warranty expired.
I called the corporate office and talked very civil to them.
I was told that it was a refurb and out of warranty and thye would charge me full repair price=.
When i mentioned the web site and potential class action .. the gentleman stated they would pay 50 % of repair.
They sent me a box and for $150.00 they replaced the hinges, the rear screen case and the bezel.
It took 7 days total and is working really well now.
Hope it lasts,,,

[Lifeshadows]

The hinge on my HP Pavillion dv9000 broke today. Went to open the screen and it just cracked.

Thought I would add mine to growing list. Got to love it when a company doesn't stand up to their product.

samething's happened to me, within 1 year of owning my laptop the hinge cracks, i get it fixed, and now guess what 1 year after a repair it cracks again, and i'm a mobile DJ and student so my laptop is a pretty big part of me