Without any crash, impact, misuse, damage, forced speed maneuver, sport mode, or any suspicious operation rather than the normal use below 10.000 m of travelled distance, my Mavic Pro blamed about a "Gimbal Motor Overload" error.

I never performed a firmware nor a software update. My smartphone is specifically dedicated to the drone, always in airplane mode. The best choice ever.

After a phone call, my technical service DJI DroneStore Chile rejected to apply a warranty. They just wanted a "paid" repair. Which is not a warranty at all.

What should i do, which people of DJI can help if the very DJI distributor rejects to apply the warranty unilaterally?

Thanks in advance.

I’m sure one of the administrators will weigh in.

Seemed to be a big problem with the Mavic. I had the same issue and just returned it where I purchased it from and exchanged it for another one. It’s been a week now no problem so far knock on wood. If I happen to have a Nother problem it will go back and that will be the end of it. It’s a nice product but seems to me the gimbal is the weak link

Hi hyprfrco, have you checked if the gimbal is mounted properly? Try to restart the drone and see if the error disappears. If the issue persists, you might need to take it for repair.
And the Dronestore you mentioned above, it is the recommended repair center that we listed on the official website, right ( sorry I can't access the link on the post)? May I know where did you purchase the drone? Only a drone purchased locally can enjoy local service.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-1-18 23:32
Hi hyprfrco, have you checked if the gimbal is mounted properly? Try to restart the drone and see if the error disappears. If the issue persists, you might need to take it for repair.
And the Dronestore you mentioned above, it is the recommended repair center that we listed on the official website, right ( sorry I can't access the link on the post)? May I know where did you purchase the drone? Only a drone purchased locally can enjoy local service.

Yes, the gimbal worked perfectly for several months, but suddenly it brought the given error.

I should say from the beginning i was extremely careful and aware of the mechanical sensitivity and precision of the gimbal parts, so i never exposed them to unproper mechanical stress , rather than the normal usage.
Also, and of course, i never started the drone with the protection transport piece mounted on, nor with the gimbal blocked by obstacles during start-up or in any moment.

Most of the times i do a very brief preflight check as indicated in the video. I should say i have never impose sudden stresses or movements into the mavic, which would put the gimbal under risk of escaping from their mounting normal positions, as the video specify. I never saw the gimbal reach those positions anyway.

If both the gimbal stop working and the Visual mode is activated, surely the drone might crash, and then that will be my fault (again?).
So that is why i think the warranty should apply.
Yeah, DroneStore Chile is listed as an authorized reseller, and i purchased with them, so they should not have an special reason to reject (only to put extra charges).

I am very dissapointed.

hyprfrco Posted at 2018-1-19 05:11
Yes, the gimbal worked perfectly for several months, but suddenly it brought the given error.

I should say from the beginning i was extremely careful and aware of the mechanical sensitivity and precision of the gimbal parts, so i never exposed them to unproper mechanical stress , rather than the normal usage.

May I know when did you purchase the drone? Mavic's gimbal has 6 months warranty period, did the drone expires the warranty period? Could you please provide me with the receipt? I would like to confirm with the related team first. Thank you.

fansf77370fb Posted at 2018-1-18 19:26
Seemed to be a big problem with the Mavic. I had the same issue and just returned it where I purchased it from and exchanged it for another one. It’s been a week now no problem so far knock on wood. If I happen to have a Nother problem it will go back and that will be the end of it. It’s a nice product but seems to me the gimbal is the weak link

I got the same
https://forum.dji.com/thread-132273-1-1.html

Were you able to resolve your issue?  I had the same problem with my mavic pro at around the same time as you after a firmware update even though mine had no history of crashes or problems but for when I updated the drone.  I was advised by DJI to send it in for diagnostic and repair but after receipt and a call DJI conceded no diagnostics but they default to replace the whole gimbal solution no matter if it was your fault or the firmware's fault--and of course at your cost.  In hindsight, I should have troubleshot it by rolling back to an earlier firmware or waited for a new firmware.  I am currently waiting for a call from a supervisor from DJI repair.

I have started and performed the following procedure in order to get a solution for this problem.

First at all, i am assuming these components are both in good condition:

• The flexible thin plastic-printed strip conductor cable controlling the motor, and
• The flexible multi wire cable passing data from the camera.
  

The first assumption for this fix is considering there are debris at some point at the internal encoder of one of the axis on the gimbal. Hence you can do the following steps:

• Turn off the drone
• Very carefully, pick the drone and put it in a clean work surface
• The gimbal motor, when the drone is turned off, leave the motor unlocked. Hence you can freely test the rotation of both motors. Check that both motor rotation axis are not mechanically locked and they can freely rotate when you turn them. Do not force them to move if not, nor try to impose movements out of their normal rotation ranges. This procedure try to remove any possible debris between the encoder plate and the encoder sensor -at least, out of the sensor detection point, which is what produces the error.
• Impose very gentle full rotations on both gimbal axis, by following the indicated procedure. Just apply gentle rotations, both clock and counter-clock wise.
• Remember you can touch the gimbal only when the drone is off, never when you turn it on!.
• Return the drone into the normal flight position, and restart the turn on procedure. Be aware of not locking the gimbal rotation range as ussually.
• At the DJI app, go to the Gimbal>Gimbal Rotation option, and place several full range rotations, in both axis, this time from the app controls (never with your hand). Do this maneuver at least five times, both full clock wise and counterclock wise, for ensuring both the sensor and the motor are operating properly.  Check that the image in the app is rotating accordingly. If everything is ok, this means there are no problems on the electronics.
  

IF you perform these steps, you could be lucky, and the debris could have take another position releasing your sensor and getting out of the error.

Nevertheless, you could still keep having the error. Note that if your app can move the Gimbal both rotation left and right, and upside down, and shows the image ok, the electronics is good, but the sensor is still reading with spikes, arising the error.

• If the gimbal is not moving, and the image is well captured, then the thin strip motor cable could have been damaged. You can purchase a new one and replacing it by following any youtube tutorial.
• If the gimbal is moving, but the image is not well captured, then the multi wire camera cable could have been damaged. Again buy a new one and perform the replacement. I am not sure if under this case you have to purchase a new camera. I am fairly sure you dont.
• If the error persists, you should purchase a new gimbal and try a replacement.
• In any of these cases, the DJI service will charge you more in any case.
  

Remember the gimbal is the most delicate piece of your drone. That is why DJI reduced the warranty of this piece to 6 months only. This ensures the company do not loss an excess of money globally, because of this situation. Also DJI charges you for a replacement and checking charges just for watching this. Be aware of that commercial strategy!!!


Sincerely,
Hyprfrco

I've just gotten the gimbal motor overload after having never crashed, and with only 2 hours of flight time. DJI support has been no help at all, rejecting all warranty claims, because I purchased the drone while on vacation in the US. This is without a doubt the worst customer service I've ever seen from an international company.

Ilucide Posted at 2018-6-9 08:47
I've just gotten the gimbal motor overload after having never crashed, and with only 2 hours of flight time. DJI support has been no help at all, rejecting all warranty claims, because I purchased the drone while on vacation in the US. This is without a doubt the worst customer service I've ever seen from an international company.

We're sorry that we do not offer global warranty service for now. You can only enjoy the warranty where you purchased the drone. More details, please check DJI policy: https://www.dji.com/service/policy
Hope for your understanding.

Dear Dji,

I am a Mavic Air user, just had it 10th June 2018.

I am currently stuck with the same problem as well. I don't know, this morning I went out to take another aerial video as I always do. But then, I got this error message indicating my gimbal motor was overloaded. I don't understand what happen. It never crashes, and never harsh landed. It just went shaky, and rendered me unable to adjust the gimbal during the flight. I tried to touch a bit on my gimbal after I turned it off, and I felt slight resistance on its vertical gimbal movement.

Is it because material/debris got stuck on the gimbal motor or what? I am afraid to do the checking by myself, because It might end badly. About warranty, where could I get one? Checked on youtube already of how to easily repair this issue by doing the gimbal recalibration, sometimes it stops at 89% and most of the times it succeeded. But, when fly stationary, my gimbal tilted slightly to the left.

Appreciate any feedback as soon as possible.

Regards,
Kerzalik

Kerzalik Posted at 2018-6-18 22:14
Dear Dji,

I am a Mavic Air user, just had it 10th June 2018.

Kerzalik, sorry for the difficulties, does the error persist after the gimbal calibration? Please check if the vibration absorbing board is mounted properly.
If the gimbal tilt, please try to adjust the ROll axis in gimbal settings.

Solved already, the main problem was the drone accidentally collecting the dust amd sand, rendered my gimbal overloaded. Went to local unauthorized drone repair, they had it opened and cleaned the inside. Now everything is normal.

My input for this particular case:

Train how to fly your drone from your hand, not from the ground. Because the chance the material trapped inside the drone is very high. Drone itself is sophisticated gadget, without proper handling may brought further damage.

I believe my warranty is now void, right?

Regards,
Kerzalik

Kerzalik Posted at 11-4 21:27
Solved already, the main problem was the drone accidentally collecting the dust amd sand, rendered my gimbal overloaded. Went to local unauthorized drone repair, they had it opened and cleaned the inside. Now everything is normal.

My input for this particular case:

Hi Kerzalik, glad to know the issue has been figured out, we still recommend to fly from the ground, please avoid flying above the sand or mud land.
If the drone is repaired by the recommended Service Centers, the warranty responsibility will transfer to the Recommended Service Center for any products they repair, and those products will no longer be warranted by DJI. Please check more details here: https://www.dji.com/service/repair/centers