Sony PlayStation 4 Class Action Alleges Faulty Disc Drive

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A class action lawsuit filed by a California man says Sony should own up to a defect in its PlayStation 4 by repairing it at no cost to the consumer.

Plaintiff Dominic Moschitti says a concealed defect in the Sony PlayStation 4 causes the disc drive to spontaneously eject, making it effectively useless.

Moschitti says Sony is fully aware of this defect but refuses to repair it free of charge.

The disc drive is an essential component of the PlayStation 4. Without a functioning disc drive, users can’t insert game discs, DVDs or Blu-rays.

According to this Sony PlayStation 4 class action lawsuit, the defect is in the circuitry between the PlayStation’s eject switch and the disc drive itself.

The eject switch is not a mechanical button but instead a capacitive switch that uses an electric current to sense contact from a human fingertip. When a user touches the switch, it signals the disc drive to eject.

The problem, according to Moschitti, is that the circuitry controlling the eject switch mistakes ordinary static electric charges for the touch of a finger. So a charge of static electricity in the air can cause the switch to repeatedly attempt to eject the disc drive in an “infinite loop” even after it has already been ejected, the class action claims.

Adding annoyance to the problem is the audible beep the unit emits each time it attempts to eject the disc drive. Moschitti says the beeping is loud enough to be heard over the sound of any media being played through the PlayStation 4.

To make matters worse, the eject switch also functions as a power switch to turn the PlayStation 4 on. So while the defect is present, the PlayStation 4 will turn itself on and beep repeatedly until the user unplugs the system, Moschitti says.

Moschitti is apparently not the only PlayStation 4 owner who has encountered this problem. He says that in many online forums, including Sony’s own website, consumers have complained about the exact same disc drive problem. Complaints date from as far back as November 2013, he says.

Sony has published a video online that purports to show users how to fix the problem themselves by power-cycling their PlayStation 4. The plaintiff claims the proffered fix does not work.

Moschitti says he purchased his own Sony PlayStation 4 in September 2014. He says that by February 2015, the device’s disc drive started acting up. Sony allegedly repaired his PlayStation 4 that month.

But in October 2016, Moschitti says the defect appeared again. He asked Sony to fix the problem again. This time, however, Sony wanted $149 to repair the PlayStation 4, he says. Moschitti did not want to pay for the repairs, so he declined the offer.

This PlayStation 4 class action lawsuit seeks to represent a plaintiff Class consisting of all persons in the U.S. who purchased a Sony PlayStation 4.

Moschitti is asking for a court order requiring Sony to repair or replace the defective PlayStation 4, to extend the warranty on the device, and to give adequate notice of the defect to the Class Members.

He also seeks an award of damages, restitution, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

The plaintiff is represented by attorneys Richard D. McCune, David C. Wright, Joseph G. Sauder and Matthew D. Schelkopf of McCuneWright LLP.

The Sony PlayStation 4 Disc Drive Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Moschitti v. Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., et al., Case No. 3:16-cv-6182, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.