Just got my AIR2 and noticed that one motor is stopping sooner than the  other 3. Contacted DJI and they said to send the drone back as it may have a hardware  issue. I've seen a lot of this problem around, is it a bad batch or is  it a purely random issue?

There have been prior posts on this issue with DJI suggesting the devices are returned no doubt to remove the risk of drones falling from the skies.  It's most likely the result of a tight/dodgy bearing that could be fine but possibly result in early failure.  Is there any resistance when you turn the motor by hand compared with the others this would be sure sign it needs sorted.

BaynhamPhoto Posted at 6-2 07:39
There have been prior posts on this issue with DJI suggesting the devices are returned no doubt to remove the risk of drones falling from the skies.  It's most likely the result of a tight/dodgy bearing that could be fine but possibly result in early failure.  Is there any resistance when you turn the motor by hand compared with the others this would be sure sign it needs sorted.

When turning by hand you can feel it slightly harder to spin, compared to the other 3, yes.

Tried switching the prop with the one from the good diagonal motor and still does the same.

This is such a bummer, I waited for more than 1 month for this drone, only to send it right back

LYM Posted at 6-2 07:42
When turning by hand you can feel it slightly harder to spin, compared to the other 3, yes.

Tried switching the prop with the one from the good diagonal motor and still does the same.

Yup I feel for ya but better to get it sorted than have it fall from the sky when the bearing goes terminal.

Hello there LYM. I am sorry to read and to know that you are having issues with one of the motors of your DJI Mavic Air 2. It is great to know that you were able to get in touch with out DJI support team for us to be able to analyze the said drone thoroughly and the proper resolution will be given after the assessment. Again I am sorry and please stay safe always.

DJI Stephen Posted at 6-2 20:14
Hello there LYM. I am sorry to read and to know that you are having issues with one of the motors of your DJI Mavic Air 2. It is great to know that you were able to get in touch with out DJI support team for us to be able to analyze the said drone thoroughly and the proper resolution will be given after the assessment. Again I am sorry and please stay safe always.

I'm getting a new one today, should I expect similar problems with that one? what kind of quality control is this?

LYM Posted at 6-2 20:17
I'm getting a new one today, should I expect similar problems with that one? what kind of quality control is this?

If there is one thing needing improvement based on the recent Air 2 roll out it's definitely QC but given the volume of product shifted and being pragmatic the cost analysis of time testing every drone over simply replacing where an issue is found I guess the latter wins out for DJI.  Not ideal for the end consumer but despite numbers into 100's with issues and screaming on the forum how many 1000's have been ok?  I have no idea how many units shipped but I expect it would be sizeable, don't get me wrong I don't defend DJI just think you have to look at a wider picture it's easy to fall into it's all bad commentary when you're faced with a drone with an issue.  Having said all that the initialisation failure rate has been ridiculous on release that aspect is perhaps inexcusable next to component failure.

Good luck with the replacement unit keep us updated on how it goes.

There was a poll somewhere about the failure to activate issue, and the percentage of failure was about 6%. That's for just that single issue. Add another 6-8% (guestimating here) for this motor issue (although I think it's more than that, just not everyone notices it) + the cooling failure I've seen in several posts, I think we can reach roughly 15% of drones with some kind of defect. In my eyes that's too much.
To be honest I'm not at all confident that the new unit will be any better, we'll see.

My Air 2 is exactly the same. One prop stops immediately upon shutdown. I also noticed extra heat coming from that motor.  Otherwise the drone is flying pretty well, so far 6hr of flight time.

Not sure should I be worried, but at the same time I dont really want to send it in and then be without it for long time

B737ng Posted at 6-3 03:12
My Air 2 is exactly the same. One prop stops immediately upon shutdown. I also noticed extra heat coming from that motor.  Otherwise the drone is flying pretty well, so far 6hr of flight time.

Not sure should I be worried, but at the same time I dont really want to send it in and then be without it for long time

Your call, but I'd send it back to be replaced. It's far easier than to explain to DJI how your drone crashed because that specific motor got stuck.
I haven't flown it myself, but there must be an issue there, especially if you feel extra heat on that motor.

Got my replacement drone today and this one is ok.

Same issue here. I never noticed it actually until I was flying recently in sport mode (needed to get it to the other side of a field and wanted it there fast if possible), and got a "Max power load reached" error or something like it. Having seen similar issues before drone crashes, I switched it back out of sport mode into normal mode immediately and never saw the error again. Drone still flies fine. But now, every single time I power the props down, the rear left always immediately stops, while the other 3 coast down to stop together. Hand spinning all 4 ESCs' the one in question definitely gives more resistance than the rest.

How fast is the turnaround if I contact DJI to RMA it? I really want to have it for July 4th if possible. But I do not want to fly it again and risk it falling out of the sky when the motor/bearing eventually fails (or into the lake).

I did not go through dji, I got my replacement drone from the store I bought it from in less than 24h.

LYM Posted at 6-5 22:02
I did not go through dji, I got my replacement drone from the store I bought it from in less than 24h.

Ah gotcha. I got mine through B&H, maybe I will contact them. DJI support was no help, as the US based repair facility in California is apparently shut down due to COVID.

LYM Posted at 6-3 03:06
There was a poll somewhere about the failure to activate issue, and the percentage of failure was about 6%. That's for just that single issue. Add another 6-8% (guestimating here) for this motor issue (although I think it's more than that, just not everyone notices it) + the cooling failure I've seen in several posts, I think we can reach roughly 15% of drones with some kind of defect. In my eyes that's too much.
To be honest I'm not at all confident that the new unit will be any better, we'll see.

i agree completly, I have had my first MA2 replaced due to activation error... now i have my replacement and it seems that i have the same error with one motor spin harder exactly like the video in this thread. And you can feel the motor is slightly warmer. did a blind test with my wife and she could point out wich motor spin slightly harder. my guess is that DJI have a higher failure to this MA2 then 15%

djiuser_gkv6UloOWe35 Posted at 6-12 23:56
i agree completly, I have had my first MA2 replaced due to activation error... now i have my replacement and it seems that i have the same error with one motor spin harder exactly like the video in this thread. And you can feel the motor is slightly warmer. did a blind test with my wife and she could point out wich motor spin slightly harder. my guess is that DJI have a higher failure to this MA2 then 15%

just ask for a new (tested) one. it's a bummer, I know

EQUANT Posted at 6-13 00:00
just ask for a new (tested) one. it's a bummer, I know

this one should have been tested, do i have to say that i'm pretty annoyed and not very impressed of DJI right now

Returned mine this morning for the same issue. This is drone is full of issues.

djiuser_gkv6UloOWe35 Posted at 6-12 23:56
i agree completly, I have had my first MA2 replaced due to activation error... now i have my replacement and it seems that i have the same error with one motor spin harder exactly like the video in this thread. And you can feel the motor is slightly warmer. did a blind test with my wife and she could point out wich motor spin slightly harder. my guess is that DJI have a higher failure to this MA2 then 15%
https://youtu.be/B2seiQ1t21Y

Do you by chance have a handheld IR thermometer?   
Get you F/C degree readings of each motor for comparing; and potential follow-up with DJI.

Picked one up with a laser point pretty cheap, think it was at Lowe's.  Not that they have Lowe's in Sweden.

HedgeTrimmer Posted at 6-13 11:41
Do you by chance have a handheld IR thermometer?   
Get you F/C degree readings of each motor for comparing; and potential follow-up with DJI.

No i havent any IR thermometer, but if you fly and its just little windy, you can feel it very easy just by touch of hand. i have already filled out a online repair request to DJI and waiting for UPS shipping label. You loose your trust in this Mavic Air when you get 2 faulty drones from fabric, feels like they dont care that much about their customers