Got the Mavic 3 fly more a few days ago, its a great looking device and was keen to get it up in the air as soon as I had some clear weather.
Unfortunately, the flying experience hasn't been great, I have had issues with the horizon not being straight and constantly drifting to the left or right when pushing the stick directly forward. I had an experience on my second flight where I was lining up a long exposure shot (low light) and the device started aggressively drifting to the left and the camera was also tilted several degrees off-axis, it was a scary situation as the device was not following my input from the controller at first but I managed to get control back and landed safely.

When I first received the Mavic 3 I couldn't fly as it was bad weather so I powered it up, updated the firmware, noticed I had a IMU error so recalibrated that and waited for good weather. First flight I was hovering and noticed drift when taking photos, I landed recalibrated the compass controller and gimbal, went up again and same issues.

Things I have done to try and remedy the issues

• Recalibrate IUM, Gimbal, compass and controller several times
• Refreshed the firmware with DJI Assistant 2 on both Mavic 3 and controller
• Updated Dji Fly app, uninstalled and reinstalled
• Disabled obstacle avoidance
  

I'm still having drifting and horizon issues, the drone simply can't fly straight 70% of the time

No controller input, Mavic 3 drifting to left, no wind


Pushing directly forward on the stick, Mavic 3 drifting to right, no wind


Pushing directly forward on the stick, Mavic 3 drifting to left, left turn accelerates when releasing the stick, horizon not level, no wind

Send it back mate! its got be a dud!

Is it happening at low altitude, if so could it be VPS is anything blocking them or could they be dirty . Long shot but can cause drifting.

hallmark007 Posted at 11-16 14:20
Is it happening at low altitude, if so could it be VPS is anything blocking them or could they be dirty . Long shot but can cause drifting.

Yes, it happens at altitude but also at initial takeoff, it will drift left to right for 30 seconds then become solid. All vision sensors have been cleaned and I have tested it with obstacle avoidance disabled but the problem still persists. There are times where its rock solid and it will move forward in a straight line but that would only be about 30% of the time. If I fly the M3 to a new location it will have to think for 30 or more seconds before it becomes stable / level and stops drifting. I have never experienced these issues with my original Mavic, Mavic Air and Mavic 2 Pro so there is obviously a hardware problem with my Mavic 3 / controller. The concern now is DJI support seem to be overwhelmed and are taking their time getting back to me regarding a replacement

Skyris Posted at 11-16 14:14
Send it back mate! its got be a dud!

Yeh mate I’m pushing for a replacement but still waiting for a proper response from DJI support, I really do feel like I have a dud considering your Mavic 3 is solid as a rock. Let's just hope I don’t have to wait till next year to get the replacement...

I was just getting online to write about my issues, which are similar.  Lifting off and it drifts left or right before settling.

Can you calibrate the controller sticks?  I haven't tried to calibrate mine yet....I haven't checked.  Used to be on my old Mavic, I had to do this every year or so to make sure the drone would stay stationary.

Biggest thing for me is when throttle forward and descending, it stops descending around 4 meters and just goes forward.  Or, if I'm below 4 meters moving forward, it will not let me drop any further.  I suppose this is the sensors, but 4 meters is way too conservative....

DGRolfe Posted at 11-16 15:52
I was just getting online to write about my issues, which are similar.  Lifting off and it drifts left or right before settling.

Can you calibrate the controller sticks?  I haven't tried to calibrate mine yet....I haven't checked.  Used to be on my old Mavic, I had to do this every year or so to make sure the drone would stay stationary.

Yeah, I have calibrated the controller sticks several times and I have had some issues with that too, when calibrating the sticks sometimes when pushing in a direction the calibration on the screen won’t respond and calibration wont finish, restarting the app fixed this bug…

I have also experimented with the obstacle avoidance action, (APAS 5.0) toggling it between bypass brake and off, hard to say if I could see/feel any difference at high altitude, M3 still drifted when hovering and drifted left / right when pushing forward on the sticks regardless of the APAS setting, there are occasions the M3 feels rock solid, but 70% of the time its all over the shop and not a device I would feel confident using in production, My original Mavic Air is more reliable and that thing ant that reliable…

DJI is this a Firmware issue? Hardware issue? Software issue? When will you respond to my replacement request? I’m Still waiting, I didn’t pay 4k+ to be a beta tester thanks…

Maybe You need to calibrate everything. And test it again first

Niknik Posted at 11-16 16:38
Maybe You need to calibrate everything. And test it again first

Mate, maybe read my original post, everything has been recalibrated, several times

Hello there. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Since you have done several troubleshooting steps to fix the said issue and still the issue persists. I would recommend you contact our support team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance. We will do their best to find out the reason of the issue and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Thank you.

DJI Stephen Posted at 11-16 18:48
Hello there. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused and thank you for reaching out. Since you have done several troubleshooting steps to fix the said issue and still the issue persists. I would recommend you contact our support team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance. We will do their best to find out the reason of the issue and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Thank you.

Thanks Stephen, I have reached out to DJI support on the 15th November and got as far as Support sending me an email for me to fill out some details of which I did right away, but since then I have had no correspondence. I have also spoken with DJI support on the 16th November and gave them my details but again no return correspondence. I’m aware of DJI’s 14 day return policy and I don’t want to be left with a drone that has Hardware/software issues. Do you have any advice as to my next step?

Satori Posted at 11-16 20:10
Thanks Stephen, I have reached out to DJI support on the 15th November and got as far as Support sending me an email for me to fill out some details of which I did right away, but since then I have had no correspondence. I have also spoken with DJI support on the 16th November and gave them my details but again no return correspondence. I’m aware of DJI’s 14 day return policy and I don’t want to be left with a drone that has Hardware/software issues. Do you have any advice as to my next step?

Hey was this issue ever resolved?  I just passed the 14 day mark and started to have this issue..

fans32f3952e Posted at 11-27 06:37
Hey was this issue ever resolved?  I just passed the 14 day mark and started to have this issue..

Yes, it has been resolved, DJI support got back to me on the 18th offering me a whole replacement for my faulty device, I have since sent it back, DJI has received and approved for replacement and I am now awaiting delivery of a new Mavic 3. I would get onto DJI support quickly now that your pass the 14 day window

Better success with new device?

I am struggling now with similar problem. I have done almost 20 test flights just trying to do nice forward flying clip but I have only one clip which is ok. I have done all calibrations several times and flashed firmware with DJI Assistant 2 but no luck. I opened case with DJI Europe but their intial reaction is "this is normal". My camera/gimbal just drifts left or right if I fly only forward. And when I stop, it just keeps drifting.

I think this shouldn't be normal for Mavic 3 (at least same simple fly straight forward was possible with my old P4P) ?

Drifting left with cine mode and gimbal doing strange moves. (Only right stick forward)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU5K0mZdY_0

Normal mode, drifting right. Aiming towards chimney. (Only right stick forward)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFdo4ZM_8R8

tflight100 Posted at 2021-12-31 05:21
Better success with new device?

I am struggling now with similar problem. I have done almost 20 test flights just trying to do nice forward flying clip but I have only one clip which is ok. I have done all calibrations several times and flashed firmware with DJI Assistant 2 but no luck. I opened case with DJI Europe but their intial reaction is "this is normal". My camera/gimbal just drifts left or right if I fly only forward. And when I stop, it just keeps drifting.  

Looks to me that you are having the exact same issues I was experiencing with my original Mavic 3,
I can confirm that the replacement is rock solid, no more drift, the horizon line is bang on and the aircraft goes in the direction I push on the stick, I would demand a replacement you obviously have a dud. DJI Australia was really good with my case, I had a new device within 2 weeks.

Satori Posted at 1-1 21:45
Looks to me that you are having the exact same issues I was experiencing with my original Mavic 3,
I can confirm that the replacement is rock solid, no more drift, the horizon line is bang on and the aircraft goes in the direction I push on the stick, I would demand a replacement you obviously have a dud. DJI Australia was really good with my case, I had a new device within 2 weeks.

Hey Satori! Great to hear that you have luck with your replacement. May I ask a question: What about your horizon when you move from left to right and then immediately change the direction and move from right to left. Do you notice a horizon tilt when the drone changes its direction? And what about just hovering? Is it possible that you could test that at your next flight? And if you play back the footage, try to play it back faster, so that it is easier to see tilts or drifts. I am asking because I tested 5 Mavic 3 Cines and they all had the same amount of horizon tilt. Not as much as some users here described or showed in the forum, but more than my M2P had. I just wanted to know how your drone is doing, when you say it is rock solid

fhoelterhoff Posted at 1-2 02:49
Hey Satori! Great to hear that you have luck with your replacement. May I ask a question: What about your horizon when you move from left to right and then immediately change the direction and move from right to left. Do you notice a horizon tilt when the drone changes its direction? And what about just hovering? Is it possible that you could test that at your next flight? And if you play back the footage, try to play it back faster, so that it is easier to see tilts or drifts. I am asking because I tested 5 Mavic 3 Cines and they all had the same amount of horizon tilt. Not as much as some users here described or showed in the forum, but more than my M2P had. I just wanted to know how your drone is doing, when you say it is rock solid

based on the initial flights I have been happy with how it holds the horizon level. When hovering the horizon is level with both the main camera and zoom. I have done 360 spins and aggressive left/right moments to try and throw the horizon off but it feels to be on par with the M2P, would I say its as solid as the M2P that's hard to say as Iv had way more flight time with the M2P in many different weather and lighting conditions. When comparing the replacement M3 with the original M3 I had its night and day, the original couldn't hold a level horizon 75% of the time, the horizon would tilt when hovering and moving left to right it was always off. That's not the case with the replacement, it's solid for now... touch wood...

Hmm, it looks like you got the bad one.
I ordered mine Nov 5th, it got stuck in FedEx black hole for two weeks, got it on Nov 22 or so, then I had a week of nightmarish experience (worse than yours), and ended up sending it back.
The replacement they sent is decent. I did get some drifting, too, but that was because I didn't wait for sats to be acquired (and everyone seems to agree M3 takes a LONG time to acquire sats, at least after Dec 10 FW update). Once I got more patient and wait for the 12+ sats, it was rock solid.

YMMV. If the issue persists, send the damn thing back.

DarthSLR Posted at 1-2 18:20
Hmm, it looks like you got the bad one.
I ordered mine Nov 5th, it got stuck in FedEx black hole for two weeks, got it on Nov 22 or so, then I had a week of nightmarish experience (worse than yours), and ended up sending it back.
The replacement they sent is decent. I did get some drifting, too, but that was because I didn't wait for sats to be acquired (and everyone seems to agree M3 takes a LONG time to acquire sats, at least after Dec 10 FW update). Once I got more patient and wait for the 12+ sats, it was rock solid.

So you really have no issues at all? Not a slight tilt in any direction when moving left to right and immediately right to left? or back and forward? I notice a slight tilt when the direction changes. I already did sent my drone back, 3 times. Now I have the 4th one. DJI did even unbox a new one for me at their warehouse and said, that that drone has that tilt, too. They said, this is within tolerance. Then I send mine back, went for a refund and ordered a new one from the store. And this is the 4th drone and it still has that slight tilt when I start moving the aircraft. While it is moving it is ok, maybe sometimes a bit off. Again, it is slight but when I play back my footage 4x or 8x faster I can see it very well.

fhoelterhoff Posted at 1-3 01:01
So you really have no issues at all? Not a slight tilt in any direction when moving left to right and immediately right to left? or back and forward? I notice a slight tilt when the direction changes. I already did sent my drone back, 3 times. Now I have the 4th one. DJI did even unbox a new one for me at their warehouse and said, that that drone has that tilt, too. They said, this is within tolerance. Then I send mine back, went for a refund and ordered a new one from the store. And this is the 4th drone and it still has that slight tilt when I start moving the aircraft. While it is moving it is ok, maybe sometimes a bit off. Again, it is slight but when I play back my footage 4x or 8x faster I can see it very well.

Oh man, #4??? You got it bad... I wonder if the previous models also have that.
As for mine, I'm not saying it's ideal, there are things to wish for, but those are definitely "firmware updatable". Or maybe I just don't care enough ;)

DarthSLR Posted at 1-3 08:04
Oh man, #4??? You got it bad... I wonder if the previous models also have that.
As for mine, I'm not saying it's ideal, there are things to wish for, but those are definitely "firmware updatable". Or maybe I just don't care enough ;)

Yes, that was really time consuming und frustrating. But I keep the drone for now, because all the tother models had the same horizon effect and to be honest, I see it in most of the videos in the mavic 3 Facebook group. I really guess that most people have the issue but nobody noticed it. And again, it occurs when the direction changes. While flying it only happens sometimes. I would love to see some footage from you. So maybe, when you edited one or even have a raw flight video, I would love to see that to compare it to mine

I am having exactly the same issue and have recalibrated everything repeatedly, turned off OA etc. In no wind at all it just drifts left to right and right to left as if it is swinging on a rope. in fact I just lost a big job worth many thousands of dollars shooting an Amazon Prime drama series when it did exactly that as i tried to do a gentle crane up in front of the Director and DP, it was embarrassing. In fact the whole cine mode is basically useless, compared to the old tripod mode it is way too fast and is now missing all the fine control the Mavic 2 had for gentle moves. I really hoped the last firmware update would fix it but it now appears I have bought a dud drone that is half as good as the previous model for nearly TWICE the price! I'm very angry.

Got my mavic 3 about three and a half months ago and have had no problems with it until yesterday it started drifting. I did recalibration of compass and imu recalibration of the rc pro just like they said to do on the phone and Noth same drifting.  I can't use the for working if the thing won't stay in 1 spot.  What are you guys going to do for me?

Please help, DJI service says that the drone is fine, I haven't been able to use the drone for a month and I've been losing customers. Who also shoots, and what do you think?
https://youtu.be/Al_4FYQqNOY

AnastasiaFR Posted at 3-20 10:50
Please help, DJI service says that the drone is fine, I haven't been able to use the drone for a month and I've been losing customers. Who also shoots, and what do you think?
https://youtu.be/Al_4FYQqNOY

Hi, there. We have replied to you in other thread, could you please check?
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