After reporting the trembling in the arms of motors during take off and landing last week,which happened shortly after updating to latest fw, i inspected the drone close up and
I was suprised that i noticed small hairline cracks in the partition in the left front engine arm airvent and also the  right back engine arm airvent partition.

I bought it at local shop and went back with the drone , they made a report and sent it to dji repair centre.

I told the shop, since i bought the p4p july last year,  the drone till now always was flying fantastic and never had problems,never had a crash,never hardlanding, always smooth.
Also noticed no irreggularity during flights. So maybe it isnt that bad, but just to be sure ,the cracks won,t expand and maybe suddenly comes down , i brought it back.

I am not sure what is causing the cracks and the man in the shop told me , that it could be that  cold and the warmth, tempature changes, can cause the cracks.
As  this happened within the year the shop was pretty sure its still under waranty.

Anyway its also possible that the new firmware can cause it , i am not sure, but maybe engineers can investigate and do some more tests with the new fw.

Before .602 was much better than the current one.
I definately will downgrade as soon as i get the repaired drone back.

Meanwhile i suggest the p4p users to inspect the drone ,especially at the arms and vents and arm ends near engines.

Now hoping they succesfully can repair  it ( and under warranty)

Firmware will not cause the crack issue. So now the drone is on the way to our repair center, right? If so, the local team will help to take care of the drone when it arrives. Please wait patiently.

Hi thor . I dont understand why suddenly after update to .700 , vibrations in motor arms started upon take of and landing when in contact with ground? I read many many reports of phantom users who are getting this issue also. Therefore i cannot image that these stresscracks come spontaneously.never had crash, never hardlanding, never fly in sportsmode etc etc. also according to dji susan, the engineers are aware and fixing the problem. Unfortunately too late for me. Anyway i pressume the shell hairline cracks fall under the warranty , as drone is only 8 months old. But maybe its an idea to put the issue forward again to your engineers

I recently found a significant crack in the area you mentioned. I always look for those cracks as other users have mentioned them before but mine happened in just one flight. I have sent mine for repair but have been advised it is not covered under warranty. My aircraft has never had a crash or heavy landing and has never even flown in sport mode but in the flight where it happened, it did brake suddenly probably due to the sun as there were no obstacles.
I think there is a manufacturing defect where there may be just a very small nick at the corner of the vent which would never be noticed until the right circumstances occur to cause it to crack and sudden braking may be something that causes it. I am not very happy about it.

Mine has hair line crackes in the landing gear as well ... NO hard landings or crashed   what gives ????

I am also affected by the cracks and I think we are already many, maybe we should put a complaint together with DJI

So many have these cracks appear after the firmware update due to vibration ?
If this is the case then im sure dji techs will fix under warranty if its confirmed that the cracks are indeed caused by vibrations.

Can one of you guys send a photo or video of these stress cracks so that others here can know what to look for?

Jenee 2 Posted at 2018-2-10 22:15
I recently found a significant crack in the area you mentioned. I always look for those cracks as other users have mentioned them before but mine happened in just one flight. I have sent mine for repair but have been advised it is not covered under warranty. My aircraft has never had a crash or heavy landing and has never even flown in sport mode but in the flight where it happened, it did brake suddenly probably due to the sun as there were no obstacles.
I think there is a manufacturing defect where there may be just a very small nick at the corner of the vent which would never be noticed until the right circumstances occur to cause it to crack and sudden braking may be something that causes it. I am not very happy about it.

How old is your drone? And do you live in europe? As i think eu law is that warranty is within 1 year

Unfortunately i forgot to take pictures , its now on its way to dji repair , but found picture on internet , same i got

Jenee 2 Posted at 2018-2-10 22:15
I recently found a significant crack in the area you mentioned. I always look for those cracks as other users have mentioned them before but mine happened in just one flight. I have sent mine for repair but have been advised it is not covered under warranty. My aircraft has never had a crash or heavy landing and has never even flown in sport mode but in the flight where it happened, it did brake suddenly probably due to the sun as there were no obstacles.
I think there is a manufacturing defect where there may be just a very small nick at the corner of the vent which would never be noticed until the right circumstances occur to cause it to crack and sudden braking may be something that causes it. I am not very happy about it.

Jenee? What did they charge for repair? Was it a new shell? I will not accept this

This picture i found, which i have the same

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-10 23:24
How old is your drone? And do you live in europe? As i think eu law is that warranty is within 1 year

I had my original P4Pro for only a couple of weeks and it was replaced due to a camera issue and the 5.8GHz not working properly. I have had the replacement for 5 months. I am in Australia.

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-10 23:31
Jenee? What did they charge for repair? Was it a new shell? I will not accept this

I still don't know what is happening as it was delivered 7 days ago and they have only notified me today that it has been received.

Hellsgate Posted at 2018-2-10 23:05
Can one of you guys send a photo or video of these stress cracks so that others here can know what to look for?

It is not hard to miss this. Happened in just one flight.

Jenee 2 Posted at 2018-2-11 22:08
It is not hard to miss this. Happened in just one flight.
[view_image]

Yes thats wat happened to me also, last thursday after 1 flight.
But the warranty should cover this.

I think it all has got to do with the new fw and vivrating of engines upon take off and landing.
I flew last year in iceland with windgusts of 40 km/h and more. Inspected craft after each flight. No cracks or whatsoever.
There are many people reporting this now and dji should get there act together and investigate what is happening to there drones.
I sent my in for repair , see what they say.
Let met know how much your repair will cost and if i were you , you shoull not accept that no warranty policy

I had this problem with my p4p before any up date , i believe it is time and age related .
i first noticed  cracks as in post 13 after 6mths , 180000mtrs and at 22hrs flight time . under uk sales reg etc i managed to get a full refund from the store and i am now waiting for a new one
good luck with your returns , fyi the cracks are also appearing on the p3's  .

DEUCEDOG Posted at 2018-2-11 22:41
I had this problem with my p4p before any up date , i believe it is time and age related .
i first noticed  cracks as in post 13 after 6mths , 180000mtrs and at 22hrs flight time . under uk sales reg etc i managed to get a full refund from the store and i am now waiting for a new one
good luck with your returns , fyi the cracks are also appearing on the p3's  .

Dji ? What is you reaction on these reviews . This really looks like manufactory mishaps and shell or other constructional faillures . Please be honest about this , and no excuses like hardlanding , wind , temperatures, as the drones should have been tested with some of these factors.
Some people might have performed hardlandings , yes then i pressume cracks will occur . Also if these issues occur and drone is still under warranty , do not charge then for the repair . You can also trust on peoples honesty , and it looks like in above cases they are honest. Take my word for it , my hairline cracks just happen out of the blue, and i have my p4p now 8 months.
So maybe you should be aware of it , that this could be a big safety issue and can now still be prevented before a serious accident happens.and i think that several people reporting this , should ring bells.

The cracking of the airframe or landing gear  has plaqued every phantom, I have ever owned. I returned my first P4P and got a replacement, it began to developer small cracks in the landing gear, as well. I never crashed or landed hard. Dji will never confess that the shape of the phantom is probably what is causing the issues. IMO

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-2-9 23:51
Firmware will not cause the crack issue. So now the drone is on the way to our repair center, right? If so, the local team will help to take care of the drone when it arrives. Please wait patiently.

DJI Thor, Of course a firmware update can cause an airframe fracture if it results in a serious vibration, which many P4 owners are experiencing after the latest update

DEUCEDOG Posted at 2018-2-11 22:41
I had this problem with my p4p before any up date , i believe it is time and age related .
i first noticed  cracks as in post 13 after 6mths , 180000mtrs and at 22hrs flight time . under uk sales reg etc i managed to get a full refund from the store and i am now waiting for a new one
good luck with your returns , fyi the cracks are also appearing on the p3's  .

I agree with Deucedog.  Truth is, it is made of plastic.  Plastics are cheap and very susceptible to temperature, UV light, fatigue, internal mold stresses and weird shapes.  Plastics dry out with time.    It all adds up to "CRACKS".  My P4P has been in the case for the last 2 months at a constant temperature of about 60F.  It was fine when I put it there.  I am half expecting to see cracks in my next inspection.  Its one month out of warranty.  I will be SOL.  Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a consumer product.  Consumer product does not get anywhere near the testing (endurance or otherwise) that a commercial or military grade product would get (or be required by the buyer).  No holds barred, anything goes I'm afraid.

Anokadrone Posted at 2018-2-13 12:20
I agree with Deucedog.  Truth is, it is made of plastic.  Plastics are cheap and very susceptible to temperature, UV light, fatigue, internal mold stresses and weird shapes.  Plastics dry out with time.    It all adds up to "CRACKS".  My P4P has been in the case for the last 2 months at a constant temperature of about 60F.  It was fine when I put it there.  I am half expecting to see cracks in my next inspection.  Its one month out of warranty.  I will be SOL.  Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a consumer product.  Consumer product does not get anywhere near the testing (endurance or otherwise) that a commercial or military grade product would get (or be required by the buyer).  No holds barred, anything goes I'm afraid.

i also noticed the crack on my p4p originated from a sharp edge inside  the moulding .  Having worked in motorsport engineering for many years i have seen many failures  from poor design , choice of materials and production  or a combination of the above , somehow i wonder if DJI fully understand the limitations of the materials they use and the design required to get the most  from them .  
Personally i think in "normal " use the plastic should last more than 6,8,12mths .

That's unfortunate. It would be interesting to know what type of plastic the shell is made of. You would also think that they would come up with a composite that has some degree of flex for temperature ranges and for stresses caused by flying. That should be a no-brainer. If just a hard plastic, then yes, I guess we will all be replacing our shells at some point. P4's are hardly sleek and aerodynamic.

Either that or get a big tub of super glue

BearDrone Posted at 2018-2-13 14:52
That's unfortunate. It would be interesting to know what type of plastic the shell is made of. You would also think that they would come up with a composite that has some degree of flex for temperature ranges and for stresses caused by flying. That should be a no-brainer. If just a hard plastic, then yes, I guess we will all be replacing our shells at some point. P4's are hardly sleek and aerodynamic.

Either that or get a big tub of super glue

I'm not a rocket scientist but I think in aircraft design 101 you want things to be as light as possible for the stresses expected to encounter.  Momentary stress survivability is one thing.  Endurance and fatigue is a whole other ballgame.   Incidentally, I did give mine a once-over last night and did not see any cracking going on from just sitting.

Anokadrone Posted at 2018-2-14 08:54
I'm not a rocket scientist but I think in aircraft design 101 you want things to be as light as possible for the stresses expected to encounter.  Momentary stress survivability is one thing.  Endurance and fatigue is a whole other ballgame.   Incidentally, I did give mine a once-over last night and did not see any cracking going on from just sitting.

That's good , how many hrs / mtrs has your ac covered ? just wondering if i am one of the unlucky ones whose ac failed after 6mths and 180000mtrs

Anyone seen an Obsidian with stress cracks yet?  Just curious?

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-2-14 12:36
Anyone seen an Obsidian with stress cracks yet?  Just curious?

https://youtu.be/wKUD3v_vYA0

Obsidian stress cracks

Seems like many stress cracks starting after 6- 8 months flying the phantom frequently

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-14 12:44
https://youtu.be/wKUD3v_vYA0

Obsidian stress cracks

That’s not a P4PO, it’s a P4 SE.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-2-14 13:15
That’s not a P4PO, it’s a P4 SE.

Yes you are right, sorry i saw the color and presumed that it was the o.

If the obsidian shell etc was made from the same ingredients as the p4p , then i am sure the cracks will appear within a year. I hope ofcourse i am wrong, and it only happened to certain batches

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-14 13:24
Yes you are right, sorry i saw the color and presumed that it was the o.

If the obsidian shell etc was made from the same ingredients as the p4p , then i am sure the cracks will appear within a year. I hope ofcourse i am wrong, and it only happened to certain batches

Unless I'm totally wrong, the main difference between Obsidian and Standard version of P4P is ... color. I can't confirm that since I owe standard incarnation only. My assumption is based on common sense: only drastically different shell molding technology (i.e. magnesium alloy, as employed in Inspire 2) may make a difference, eventually. It will also elevate the price of P4PO a few hundred bucks, which is not the case.

Bottom line: expect cracks to appear sooner or later. It'll vary with mileage and flying style: more aggressive flying with plenty of acrobatics and rapid braking will result in more stress on craft body. No miracles nor mystery here...

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 2018-2-14 14:58
Unless I'm totally wrong, the main difference between Obsidian and Standard version of P4P is ... color. I can't confirm that since I owe standard incarnation only. My assumption is based on common sense: only drastically different shell molding technology (i.e. magnesium alloy, as employed in Inspire 2) may make a difference, eventually. It will also elevate the price of P4PO a few hundred bucks, which is not the case.

Bottom line: expect cracks to appear sooner or later. It'll vary with mileage and flying style: more aggressive flying with plenty of acrobatics and rapid braking will result in more stress on craft body. No miracles nor mystery here...

Your probably right, but I hope your wrong.

DEUCEDOG Posted at 2018-2-14 12:09
That's good , how many hrs / mtrs has your ac covered ? just wondering if i am one of the unlucky ones whose ac failed after 6mths and 180000mtrs

I bought it used last fall and only put a couple of hours on it.  Unknown how many the young lady who owned before put on it.  Not many is my guess after talking to her.  

This cracks issues really put me into bad mood. The problem is clearly material related. The software may forced it but it is still bad material we are talking about . It is hard to believe that such an aircraft is made of cheap plastic good only for toys. I think a carbon fibres wouldn't make it much more expensive. Logically we expected such solution at obsidian series but they put only the black colour in ....   

Seems to be a lot of people getting cracks after a few months. Indeed hoping dji does something about the material, but meanwhile i am stuck with the crooked one. Very expensive stuff already broken after 8 months , without any crash, hardlanding et etc. And the better not find excuses  not the repair or replace it, as still under warranty. I will see where they come up with, its now in their repairdepartment.

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-15 12:37
Seems to be a lot of people getting cracks after a few months. Indeed hoping dji does something about the material, but meanwhile i am stuck with the crooked one. Very expensive stuff already broken after 8 months , without any crash, hardlanding et etc. And the better not find excuses  not the repair or replace it, as still under warranty. I will see where they come up with, its now in their repairdepartment.

Good  luck i hope you get it sorted soon , let us know how you get on .

dronybaloney Posted at 2018-2-15 12:37
Seems to be a lot of people getting cracks after a few months. Indeed hoping dji does something about the material, but meanwhile i am stuck with the crooked one. Very expensive stuff already broken after 8 months , without any crash, hardlanding et etc. And the better not find excuses  not the repair or replace it, as still under warranty. I will see where they come up with, its now in their repairdepartment.

"A lot of people" is actually a very relative statement. We have 50 or so cases reported and documented here or on YouTube (didn't really count them, just my guess based on 3 yrs worth experience) ... That may translate to 500, perhaps even 5000 not publicized cases of cracked shell, fixed by warranty repair or by users (including myself) ... That hypothetical assumption will make the issue irrelevant, considering ridiculous affordability of Phantom class drones and 7 figure number of sold items worldwide. IMHO, naturally ...

Mine is coming up on a year old in April i think it is, i check regularly for any issues, screws, cracks, tick poop etc, deffo no cracks, granted, i deffo dont have the mileage, perhaps thats i dont take her out on marathons often (got a distance test to do today ;) ) I fly for fun and try to get out at least 1 a week sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, i do however at least once in the outing, shove her in to Sports mode and have a bit of a play, quite a bit of hard play to say the least, high accelerations and braking (using right stick down), in my opinion, if anyone is to get a crack it would be me, but nope, nothing as yet, touched wood ;)

Bashy Posted at 2018-2-15 21:28
Mine is coming up on a year old in April i think it is, i check regularly for any issues, screws, cracks, tick poop etc, deffo no cracks, granted, i deffo dont have the mileage, perhaps thats i dont take her out on marathons often (got a distance test to do today ;) ) I fly for fun and try to get out at least 1 a week sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, i do however at least once in the outing, shove her in to Sports mode and have a bit of a play, quite a bit of hard play to say the least, high accelerations and braking (using right stick down), in my opinion, if anyone is to get a crack it would be me, but nope, nothing as yet, touched wood ;)

Bashy , good for you and i really hope it doesnt happen to you. But keep checking the drone after everyflight . Because it can suddenly happen. At least it happened to me like that. And it was just a norma cruising flight