Western Digital has confirmed that it will release a firmware update to resolve a reliability issue affecting its SanDisk Extreme and Extreme Pro SSDs. Over the past few months, numerous complaints have surfaced on platforms like Reddit, the SanDisk forums, and Twitter, with customers reporting sudden data erasure and inaccessibility of their recently purchased 4TB and 2TB Extreme V2 and Extreme Pro V2 portable drives. The problem seems to be limited to drives manufactured since the end of 2022, with 4TB models being primarily affected.
On Friday, Western Digital issued its first public statement regarding the issue since its discovery months ago. In an interview with ArsTechnica, the company announced that it had developed a software update specifically for the 4TB variants of the SanDisk Extreme and Extreme Pro SSDs. “Western Digital is aware of reports indicating some customers have experienced an issue with 4TB SanDisk Extreme and/or Extreme Pro portable SSDs (SDSSDE61-4T00 and SDSSDE81-4T00 respectively),” the statement read. “We have resolved the issue and will publish a firmware update to our website soon. Customers with questions or experiencing issues should contact our Customer Support team for assistance.”
The exact release date of the update and whether Western Digital is also working on a fix for the 2TB models remain unclear. Additionally, the company did not provide information regarding potential refunds for customers who lost their data as a result of a failure in one of their Extreme or Extreme Pro SSDs. When approached for comment, Western Digital did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for further details.
For those who purchased SanDisk Extreme or Extreme Pro SSDs before the end of 2022, it is likely that your drive is unaffected and does not pose a risk of sudden failure. Nonetheless, Western Digital’s slow response to the issue has disappointed customers, particularly considering SanDisk drives are generally known for their reliability.
Customers who own the affected SSD models and require assistance or have questions are encouraged to reach out to Western Digital’s Customer Support team.
