Battery Swelling

[Ghostwheel]

I thought my stock case was getting worn out, because the kickstand would no longer stay fully closed. So I bought a new one, and it's doing the same thing. But in swapping it out, I noticed that the kevlar was bowed out a little. It turns out that my battery is starting to swell after almost 18 months. Is this common? There seems to be no degradation of my battery life; it still lasts about as long as it used to. But I worry about damage to other parts of the phone (i.e. cracked screen). What are my options?

I don't have insurance - will Verizon replace the battery or phone at this point with no fee?

 

[leeshor]

You should stop using the phone before it explodes. No joke. Damaging the phone is only one possible issue. It's not all that comon but it does happen and I doubt there will be any warranty coverage from anybody.

 

[dezymond]

Well you are out of the warranty window, but it doesn't hurt to contact Verizon and/or Motorola. This is definitely a safety issue so they may offer you a new(refurbed) phone to avoid any bad PR.

As leeshor said, stop using the phone and turn it off until you can get the issue resolved.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Yikes, it's that serious? Given when the kickstand stopped staying closed, I'd say it's been like this for almost a month now. It hasn't gotten any worse, at least. I'm assuming an actual Verizon store would be better than an authorized store?

 

[JohnnytheK]

Yikes, it's that serious? Given when the kickstand stopped staying closed, I'd say it's been like this for almost a month now. It hasn't gotten any worse, at least. I'm assuming an actual Verizon store would be better than an authorized store?

It can be that serious.

Remember the day before something broke it was fine.

"it worked yesterday", I hear this all the time.

from my spanking new Samsung Note 2

 

[Ghostwheel]

Motorola would replace the battery for $50, but I'd need to send it to them and be without it for ~2 weeks. An option, if not a great one.

BUT...

I called Verizon, and thanks to 12+ years of loyalty to them, they extended my warranty the four months it takes to cover a replacement RAZR Maxx, which they're overnighting to me. Whew.

 

[leeshor]

That's great to hear.

 

[Mike.757]

This is EXACTLY why I do not like the path that Moto has taken. If this were my S3, I could swap out that battery and problem solved. Also, the removal of the SD slot is troubling to me.

Motorola would replace the battery for $50, but I'd need to send it to them and be without it for ~2 weeks. An option, if not a great one.

BUT...

I called Verizon, and thanks to 12+ years of loyalty to them, they extended my warranty the four months it takes to cover a replacement RAZR Maxx, which they're overnighting to me. Whew.

OP. Glad to hear that your getting the problem resolved with a positive outcome! :happy3:

 

[Ghostwheel]

I understood at the time I bought the phone that I was playing the odds with a non-removable battery. And I lost. Luckily, I think they're aware a swelling battery could be a liability and publicity risk for them, thus their willingness to negotiate a solution.

 

[dezymond]

Motorola would replace the battery for $50, but I'd need to send it to them and be without it for ~2 weeks. An option, if not a great one.

BUT...

I called Verizon, and thanks to 12+ years of loyalty to them, they extended my warranty the four months it takes to cover a replacement RAZR Maxx, which they're overnighting to me. Whew.

Awesome to hear. You being a long time customer helped, but I think it's more because it was a safety issue. I've heard many others being turned down for other issues who had been with Verizon far longer. If it was just dying and wouldn't turn on, I wonder if they would've treated you the same....

 

[jkaod]

I think you're right about the potential bad PR being the reason they were so accommodating. I can see the news story now:

Phone explodes and burns in owner's pocket - burns delicate body parts. Multi-million dollar lawsuit against Motorola and Verizon pending.

 

[Ghostwheel]

I think you're right about the potential bad PR being the reason they were so accommodating. I can see the news story now:

Phone explodes and burns in owner's pocket - burns delicate body parts. Multi-million dollar lawsuit against Motorola and Verizon pending.

Well, I never carry it in pockets close to delicate body parts, at least. It's either in a shirt pocket (chest) or the side pocket of cargo shorts (thigh). No front or back pants pockets, ever - I'd crack a screen.

 

[JohnnytheK]

Well, I never carry it in pockets close to delicate body parts, at least. It's either in a shirt pocket (chest) or the side pocket of cargo shorts (thigh). No front or back pants pockets, ever - I'd crack a screen.

I don't know about you but my chest is kind of important. ;-)

from my spanking new Samsung Note 2

 

[Ghostwheel]

I don't know about you but my chest is kind of important. ;-)

from my spanking new Samsung Note 2

Important sure, but not what I'd call delicate. Not like the other parts which were being implied, anyway...

 

[Ghostwheel]

So nine months after getting my replacement Razr Maxx, its battery has begun to swell. I'm sure they won't replace it again for free - the warranty on the replacement was only 30 days. I'm still happy with the phone's performance, aside from that darn battery, so I really don't want to have to shop around for a new model. I've noticed there are replacement batteries and DIY instructions online in various places. I think I'll be trying that. My next phone will NOT have a "non-replaceable" battery, that's for sure. That, coupled with the battery swelling, is the Razr Maxx's fatal flaw.