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Class Action Charges Xbox Overheats

December 7, 2005

Xbox • Microsoft To Spend $1 Billion On Xbox Repairs • Microsoft Extends Xbox 360 Warranty to One Year • Angry Xbox Owners Signing Recall Petition • Gamers Complain "Dead Rising" Fatal to Microsoft Xbox • Gamers Say Microsoft Understates Xbox Problems • Xbox Failures Irk Gamers • Class Action Charges Xbox Overheats • Problems Plague Xbox 360 Users • Xbox Midnight Madness Casualties • Consumer Complaints • Power Cord Recall

This season’s hottest Christmas gift is also heating up the courthouse as angry consumers react to an overheating problem. Robert Byers of Chicago is one of the first to sue Microsoft, charging the company’s new Xbox 360 has a flaw in its design that causes it to overheat, and ultimately, crash.

Byers’ suit, filed in federal court, seeks class action status. It does not specify damages, but does seek a recall and replacement of the pricey game system.

The game was released to long lines and a lot of hype on November 22. Days later complaints began to appear on game message boards, with new Xbox owners comparing notes about problems with the machines.

Microsoft says there is no design flaw, but has agreed to repair or replace units that don’t work properly. The official support site does not address the overheating issue.

Xbox complaints are nothing new for Microsoft. Earlier this year the company had to deal with power supply problems in the original Xbox game system.

Eventually, Microsoft recalled more than 14 million power cords to the Xbox because they overheated and posed a fire hazard. The recall was prompted by as many as 30 fires, resulting in some minor injuries and property damage.

In fact, a Texas couple has sued Microsoft, claiming a faulty Xbox power cable started a fire that destroyed their home.

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