Kindle Fire and the Charging Port Epidemic

First released in November 2011, the Kindle Fire is Amazon’s solution for a tablet meant absolutely for readers. Running on a modified version of Google’s Android called the Fire OS, the Kindle Fire features a 7-inch multi-touch display, advanced IPS technology and Amazon’s viral Kindle eBook Reader. With humble prices starting at around $100, the Kindle Fire has quickly become popular amongst the reading community. Sadly, just like most other gadgets, the Kindle Fire too, is prone to defects.

One of the biggest and most common problems faced with the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD devices is the Kindle Charging Port Defect, whereby the Kindle Fire battery stops charging and is rendered battery dead. This is a technical issue caused due to a faulty micro-soldering in the Kindle Fire’s Motherboard. Although a frustrating problem that has, in fact, taken the form of an epidemic, Amazon has done nothing so far to fix this issue, causing a huge number of unsatisfied consumers, who probably now regret not going for an iPad Mini instead!

If you Google it, you will come across a huge list of “DIY tips”, like holding the power button down for 30 seconds, then plugging into charger to reset, or cleaning port with 99% alcohol. You will even be advised to look for a sweet spot on your device by wiggling the charger into the micro USB port in different angles! That’s absurd! You need a permanent solution. But first, let’s learn about what really causes this problem:

Caused by an improperly soldered connection in the Motherboard, the Kindle Fire Charging Port defect is expected to present itself within two years of a new purchase, probably just enough time to wean your warranty away! The symptoms are simple. You connect your Kindle Fire to a charger and let it stay overnight, only to be taken aback in the morning on discovering that the device hasn’t charged at all.

It is estimated, and probably an understatement, that about 12-13% of Kindle Fire purchasers return their devices within a single sales quarter because of customer dissatisfaction, mostly from the same Kindle Fire charging port issues. However, this is only the lucky few who encounter the problem soon after the purchase. Most customers only discover it 1-2 years later, after the warranty has expired. They are rendered helpless, being forced to pay in full for repairing a manufacturing defect that is Amazon’s own fault. What is even more unfortunate, even that’s not enough! Most third-party repairers don’t know how to solve this problem the correct way, and only end up messing up your device even further!

So the question remains: who can you trust? Should you go to the official Kindle Fire service center and pay them a high price for solving a problem that they themselves caused? Or should you rely on amateurs to experiment with your device and brick it in the process? Here is an interesting repair video on the Kindle Fire HD charging port you can watch.

Kindle Fire and the Charging Port Epidemic