Hi all.
I have a P4 battery with about 20 flights on it, and had noticed this afternoon (after a flight) that it looks to have cracks appearing, near the led indicators. This battery has never been mistreated, always lived in its case (when not flying.)
DJI, Please take a look at the photos, and advise if it is a design fault, or even a common problem?
I am heading overseas in two weeks, and plan on doing a fair bit of flying. I need to know if I should not be flying with this battery..?
Thanks.

It was a common problem, I believe with a certain batch/manufacture of batteries. I had one similar, in fact I still have it, I decided to keep it and repair when needed (6 months warranty on batteries, although may still be covered as due to poor workmanship/design). To date it is no worse than it was a few months ago.

Have a look at this thread http://forum.dji.com/thread-61024-1-1.html

Aardvark Posted at 2017-1-14 05:10
It was a common problem, I believe with a certain batch/manufacture of batteries. I had one similar, in fact I still have it, I decided to keep it and repair when needed (6 months warranty on batteries, although may still be covered as due to poor workmanship/design). To date it is no worse than it was a few months ago.

Have a look at this thread http://forum.dji.com/thread-61024-1-1.html

And have you seen photos of the new P4P batteries? There are visible screws to the side near the caps. My bet (without risking battery warranty) is that DJI have noted the issue and implemented a new internal cap/button tensioner design.

Trekz posted this photo in the P4P forum.

May I know when you purchased it?
Have you contacted our tech support to report this case?

DJI Natalia Posted at 2017-1-16 03:36
May I know when you purchased it?
Have you contacted our tech support to report this case?

My battery is cracked but it is over 6 months old, would it still be covered under warranty?

Nevillejp Posted at 2017-1-16 10:40
My battery is cracked but it is over 6 months old, would it still be covered under warranty?

It actually doesn't harm the functioning of the battery, although obviously the crack shouldn't occur. It's the other side of the spring tensioner which is compressed when you push the clip in to release the battery, and conversely which pushes the clip back up. Imagine the small spring used in most clothes pegs. The plastic cap in some batteries appear to not like the constant pressure.

I have one of these.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-1-16 15:45
It actually doesn't harm the functioning of the battery, although obviously the crack shouldn't occur. It's the other side of the spring tensioner which is compressed when you push the clip in to release the battery, and conversely which pushes the clip back up. Imagine the small spring used in most clothes pegs. The plastic cap in some batteries appear to not like the constant pressure.

No, not until such time when the spring actually pokes completely through the plastic and releasing all tension from the retaining buttons and allowing the battery to potentially eject itself from the AC, so it is really a design/manafacturing fault and sould be replaced under the 12 month AC Warranty and not part of the 6 month Battery Warranty.

Nevillejp Posted at 2017-1-16 17:37
No, not until such time when the spring actually pokes completely through the plastic and releasing all tension from the retaining buttons and allowing the battery to potentially eject itself from the AC, so it is really a design/manafacturing fault and sould be replaced under the 12 month AC Warranty and not part of the 6 month Battery Warranty.

Agreed. But have you had this happen?

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-1-16 17:42
Agreed. But have you had this happen?

Not yet but that's not to say it is not going to happen, the crack in mine has slowly been getting bigger so the potential for disaster is certainly a real one.

Nevillejp Posted at 2017-1-16 17:47
Not yet but that's not to say it is not going to happen, the crack in mine has slowly been getting bigger so the potential for disaster is certainly a real one.

Oh bugger. Sorry to hear. I have 3 of those batteries, and I'm fortunate that this hasn't happened with any of them.

There's a particular type of plastic bonding glue called Weld-on which you could track down and try it out to see if it fills the cracks and strengthens it. That's if you've missed the opportunity to claim the battery under warranty.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-1-16 17:55
Oh bugger. Sorry to hear. I have 3 of those batteries, and I'm fortunate that this hasn't happened with any of them.

I'm keeping a very close eye on it, I've tried to get it replaced from the place where I bought it but they don't want to have any part of it.

Nevillejp Posted at 2017-1-16 18:04
I'm keeping a very close eye on it, I've tried to get it replaced from the place where I bought it but they don't want to have any part of it.

Well that sux. Try emailing to DJI US support. Perhaps they'lll recognise it under international warranty.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-1-16 18:11
Well that sux. Try emailing to DJI US support. Perhaps they'lll recognise it under international warranty.

But they are saying it's the battery and as such only has a 6 month warranty which it has already passed.

Maybe someone from DJI can step in here and clarify the take on this????

DJI Natalia Posted at 2017-1-16 03:36
May I know when you purchased it?
Have you contacted our tech support to report this case?

I have contacted DJI support, however I still have not heard anything back from them!
If you could please try and escalate my request that would be great 396077.
I cannot recall exactly when the battery was purchased, however the Phantom 4 has not even been on sale for 12 months, so it would easily be within 12 months.
The more research I do, the more it is a known, common problem. Many have experienced the same issue. Keep in mind this battery has only seen around 20 charges, and been maintained and looked after.
I would think as it is a known DJI and common problem that it should be attended to, and repaired by DJI, possibly as a design defect?
The last thing I want is for something to go wrong with this battery whilst my P4P is up in the air.

sshorty Posted at 2017-1-16 19:34
I have contacted DJI support, however I still have not heard anything back from them!
If you could please try and escalate my request that would be great 396077.
I cannot recall exactly when the battery was purchased, however the Phantom 4 has not even been on sale for 12 months, so it would easily be within 12 months.

I checked your ticket, you have provided us the information needed, since it's out of warranty period (6 months for battery), it will not be covered by warranty.

Nevillejp Posted at 2017-1-16 10:40
My battery is cracked but it is over 6 months old, would it still be covered under warranty?

If it's over 6 months old, then it will not be covered under warranty.

DJI Natalia Posted at 2017-1-17 03:07
I checked your ticket, you have provided us the information needed, since it's out of warranty period (6 months for battery), it will not be covered by warranty.

Only 6 months on batteries? That's a little odd, when the craft comes with 12 months warranty?
Like I have said, it is a common design fault on DJI's behalf, why can it not be repaired/replaced as a design fault? Pretty disappointing if you ask me..

sshorty Posted at 2017-1-17 12:43
Only 6 months on batteries? That's a little odd, when the craft comes with 12 months warranty?
Like I have said, it is a common design fault on DJI's behalf, why can it not be repaired/replaced as a design fault? Pretty disappointing if you ask me..

On the surface, I have to agree. I suspect the differentiation is due to the fact that batteries are interchangable (increasing risk each time it's plugged/unplugged), and are a known component which degrades over time and with each charge.
Regardless, I propose that you track down a tube of Weld-on and try dripping that onto the cracked area to give it extra strength.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-1-17 14:20
On the surface, I have to agree. I suspect the differentiation is due to the fact that batteries are interchangable (increasing risk each time it's plugged/unplugged), and are a known component which degrades over time and with each charge.
Regardless, I propose that you track down a tube of Weld-on and try dripping that onto the cracked area to give it extra strength.

I think this is extremely poor service. These batteries are AUD$289.00 and come with 6 months warranty?
To me, I see that as DJI only backing their product to last 6 months, which is extremely poor, considering the price that we pay for DJI drones, and accessories.
Why would you offer 12 months on the drone, yet only 6 months on the battery that comes with the drone?

In this case this is a known DJI design fault, you would think that they would at least repair/replace under goodwill.

DJI Natalia Posted at 2017-1-17 03:07
I checked your ticket, you have provided us the information needed, since it's out of warranty period (6 months for battery), it will not be covered by warranty.

Can you please explain to me and others in this forum why DJI would not replace a defective item that is a known issue, that was caused by poor design, and lack of quality, regardless of warranty status?

There is no question whatsoever that this is a design flaw, so why would DJI not try to make it right? Looking on the different forums, there seems to be many issues with cracks, and not just the batteries
People wonder why there is so much negitivity here, this is one reason why. Many people have invested thousands of dollars, only to have a defective product due to poor design, workmanship and quality, and then be told to go pound sand. Please help me and everyone else understand this business model, this makes no sense to me.

We do understand your feelings and want to help you, while as you can see on our website link below, the warranty period for battery is "6 Months and Charge Cycle less than 200 Times": http://www.dji.com/service/policy

DJI Natalia Posted at 2017-1-19 01:44
We do understand your feelings and want to help you, while as you can see on our website link below, the warranty period for battery is "6 Months and Charge Cycle less than 200 Times": http://www.dji.com/service/policy[view_image]

Ok Natalia, I agree with the warranty, but this is not an issue with typical warranty issues, it is a bad design, causing problems for many people. This is a defective design and should be be made right by DJI, PERIOD!

Trump Posted at 2017-1-19 19:06
Ok Natalia, I agree with the warranty, but this is not an issue with typical warranty issues, it is a bad design, causing problems for many people. This is a defective design and should be be made right by DJI, PERIOD!

That is correct this IS a design flaw that I was told by support that they revised the design after the initial complaints of this happening.

So this is not a normal warranty situation, DJI acknowledged the issue by redesigning the battery cover and you cannot leave the original owners of the defective design to buy a new battery or take chances on self repair, its bad business. Also this issue is contained to the initial batch of drones that came out in mid 2016 and was later revised in subsequent manufacturing, so DJI should replace the batteries at no cost as this was a contained issue.

I have 4 batteries for the P4 and all have developed cracks. I contacted DJI support via email and phone- they will not do anything about it. They could not even suggest a solution. Crappy Customer Service from DJI yet again. Great products, but frustrating problems for the customer to deal with. I will try using super glue and gaffer tape on the cracks and hope for the best.

Same here.  2 cracked batteries.  DJI won't offer help as they are 8 mos old.  Shouldn't there have been a recall?  

I also notice that I fall into this problem, had 3 batteries, both the new ones having this issue too. So sad

I used some JB Weld plastic epoxy and that kept the batteries from cracking further.  

henchMedia Posted at 2017-9-7 10:54
I have 4 batteries for the P4 and all have developed cracks. I contacted DJI support via email and phone- they will not do anything about it. They could not even suggest a solution. Crappy Customer Service from DJI yet again. Great products, but frustrating problems for the customer to deal with. I will try using super glue and gaffer tape on the cracks and hope for the best.

same here, with 3 of my Phantom 4 batteries - they wouldnt do a thing...

NOW, i bought the PHANTOM 4 PRO V2 and it has cracks after 6 months but in different places - DEFFECT!!!!

KenTbk Posted at 2018-4-12 01:41
I also notice that I fall into this problem, had 3 batteries, both the new ones having this issue too. So sad

same here, with 3 of my Phantom 4 batteries - they wouldnt do a thing...

NOW, i bought the PHANTOM 4 PRO V2 and it has cracks after 6 months but in different places - DEFFECT!!!!

fansc9d4134a Posted at 2018-2-12 11:51
Same here.  2 cracked batteries.  DJI won't offer help as they are 8 mos old.  Shouldn't there have been a recall?

SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL, Yep!! But welcome to a CHINESE company.... "YOU BREAK, YOU BUY' mentality... And everything is your Fault and not theirs, in their minds... ROFL.... Damn Chinese!   Chinese RUN everything - thankfully DADDY TRUMP is fixing it!

same here, with 3 of my Phantom 4 batteries - they wouldnt do a thing...

NOW, i bought the PHANTOM 4 PRO V2 and it has cracks after 6 months but in different places - DEFFECT!!!!

sshorty Posted at 2017-1-17 12:43
Only 6 months on batteries? That's a little odd, when the craft comes with 12 months warranty?
Like I have said, it is a common design fault on DJI's behalf, why can it not be repaired/replaced as a design fault? Pretty disappointing if you ask me..

RIGHT!!!!!    Chinese Customer Service is LESS THAN Stellar!  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Same issue here, I bought my batteries less than  a year ago but more than 6 months, DJI says it is out of warranty while clearly it is a design issue !
My cracks are at the same place as the ones on 2016 batteries!!

Same thing developed on one my 1 year old P4PV2 battery.

This battery cover is easily removable > unscrew both side screws and lift the cover. Use plastic cement to fill the crack and reinforce it at the back as well. Unfortunately plastic cement will 'scar' the gloss finish.

DJI really should consider selling this replacement part on their store. I'd definitely be willing to replace mine.



As mentioned, these stress cracks develop due to the locking clip spring tension which flexes the plastic every time you press down the locking clips. The gauge and/or quality of the plastic here is poor and the integrity of the locking mechanism becomes questionable once compromised.

Agree, DJI should consider selling this replacement part but they should also realize it is a manufacturing defect which means they should replace the batteries even if they are out of warranty.

Does anyone know if the battery cap can be printed on 3d printer? I have two cracked batteries

I had two batteries in “warranty” according to a long email thread with dji, so I sent in my p4p v2 batteries. A couple months later I get a quote that the batteries will cost me $370 to repair even though they are in warranty. This is the worst design that makes the batteries crack and the customer service for this is laughable. Now they are telling me they are out of warranty ending in 4/2022 even though the email was in September 2022, which is after April.

Then they call me “Peter” which isn’t my name and I’m not a man.

This is laughable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2gBgztwCws&ab_channel=DesiDrone