Recently, there have been numerous reports of SanDisk SSD users experiencing complete failures and data losses. This is just the latest problem for Western Digital, as they have also faced issues with bricked devices and vulnerabilities in their NAS line. One recent report highlighted that a staff member at The Verge lost 3TB of data, indicating that there may be more affected units than initially acknowledged by WD.
Other high-profile websites, such as Ars Technica, have also reported failures of SanDisk SSDs during regular use. In May, they experienced the failure of a pair of 2TB SanDisk Extreme/Extreme Pro SSDs. SanDisk did admit to issues with the 4TB SSDs and promised a firmware update to resolve the problem. However, it seems that the problem extends to other capacities as well.
Both Ars Technica and The Verge have experienced issues with the 2TB drives, showcasing that this is not limited to the 4TB capacity alone. The Verge’s Vjeran Pavic even lost a 4TB SSD that was a replacement for a previously failed drive. This indicates that it is not an issue of mistreatment or misuse, as the replacement drive was relatively new.
The failures seem to affect various models, including SanDisk Extreme, SanDisk Extreme Pro, SanDisk MyPassport, and SanDisk Pro-G40 SSDs. There are reports on Reddit from users with similar experiences. Unfortunately, SanDisk has not released an official statement addressing these widespread failures, causing concern among users.
The Verge suggests that Western Digital may be attempting to quietly handle the situation by offering significant discounts on the drives. This raises suspicions that the company hopes to sell the remaining stock without acknowledging or addressing the high failure rates.
In light of these issues, it is advisable to back up the data on SanDisk SSDs as soon as possible. Additionally, it may be beneficial to consider alternative brands such as OWC Envoy Pro FX, Crucial X8, and Samsung T5/7 SSDs. Regardless of the brand, it is essential to regularly back up data to the cloud, NAS, or another storage device.
As of now, there has been no response from SanDisk or Western Digital regarding these issues. Therefore, it is difficult to determine how they will handle drive failures and data loss. Until a proper response is given and a resolution is provided, it is not recommended to purchase SanDisk SSDs.