Is the swollen battery problem related to battery manufacturing date?
Background (feel free to skip)
I’ve just bought a CoreBook X (8th Gen) from Chuwi Store. The battery (part # 505979-3S1P(-1) 3ICP5/59/79, also used on several other Chuwi laptops) is by all means fine so far but I can’t help noticing it was made on March 15, 2021.
There are many stories, even videos and photos, of battery swelling to the point of pushing out the touchpad from inside. And the manufacturing date on these faulty parts always seems to be March 15 or March 25, 2021. The sample is small and there’s confirmation bias (nobody posts stories that their battery didn’t fail) but I haven’t seen any such problems reported with batteries made later in 2021 or 2022.
I’m thinking if I should just replace it immediately with something from a newer batch? Before it starts swelling and needs to be removed when I least expect it. It’d be a waste though, as the battery seems completely fine (and reports full capacity).
So I wanted to ask:
Has anyone been using a battery made around that date (March 2021) for a while, and the battery is still fine? (Capacity decrease is to be expected as long as it doesn’t fail completely, swell or worse.)
Conversely, is there anyone who had swelling issues with a newer battery than March 2021? (The last thing I’d like to do is to replace the battery with a newer one only to discover they’re still affected, it just takes time and use.)
It seems Dongguan Ganfeng is the sole supplier, so manufacturing batch (date and serial number) is the only variable to control for.
If you have any other thoughs about this, please share them as well.
@coyotefert Purchased 2022-11-29, so I’m still within the 1st year. Does that change anything though? 2-year warranty is the minimum required in the EU.
@coyotefert Sounds like bad news if they no longer have the batteries in stock. How come though? They seem to sell newer models that share the same battery.
I think you could tell them (if need be) it’s one thing if the battery only doesn’t hold capacity, and then maybe it’s OK they only guarantee it for 1 year in such cases, but it’s a completely different thing if the battery is swollen, which is actually dangerous, and must be replaced because this device isn’t designed to work without it. All these batteries should have been recalled in the first place. If a safety issue like this is discovered, it’s something the seller is responsible for even after the warranty period.
As for how my repair is going, the laptop was delivered to the repair center on Jun 23 (Fri). I contacted them on Jul 6 (Thu) to ask if they got it and if they can tell me how long it would take (a week? a month?). They confirmed they got it but only told me they’ll do it as soon as possible (which might mean they’re waiting for the parts).
It’s a shame because it’s a really great laptop: the 3:2 14" screen, the keyboard layout, the large touchpad. But they cut too many corners and the quality of some parts is too low.
35 days ago I opened an incident with Chuwi Support because the laptop’s battery was swollen and pushed the laptop’s touchpad, I attached pictures.
They told me that they don’t have batteries in stock to replace and that I have to wait.
For 35 days I have contacted them asking about the status and they only know how to answer that they do not have batteries in stock.
Chuwi is the manufacturer, his response is surreal.
I have been waiting 35 days, if they do not provide a solution, I will go to the official consumer associations in Spain, file a lawsuit and publish the problem on social networks.
@robetorio Seems we’re in the same boat. I sent my laptop for repair, mainly because of the broken (shorted) power button but also due to the swollen battery. Chuwi (EDA) received it on Jun 30, nearly a month ago. I tried to get an estimate on how long it might take and only got an answer they’ll do it “as soon as possible.” That was 3 weeks ago. No further updates since then, only silence.
The Chuwi company and its after-sales service are the worst. I have not received a response to my emails and the case opened with them, more than five months have passed since then.
They say that they do not have batteries in stock, but on Aliexpress and in specialized battery stores there is stock and they are produced.
They are directly missing the truth.
I will not purchase any Chuwi products again and will not recommend anyone to do so.
