HP Replacing Motherboards In Some PCs

Hewlett Packard is offering some customers free motherboard replacement due to what has been identified as "a high rate of motherboard failures" in some of the company's most popular Pavilion line of desktop PCs.

According to a recent HP announcement, the affected machines include Pavilion Elite HPE-4xx, Pavilion P66xx and Pavilion Slimline S5660f desktops built in June and July 2010. "[These] computers may experience no video at start up and stop responding," said HP in its email to desktop owners.

HP is implementing a 1 year Limited Warranty Service Enhancement Program (LWSEP) for owners of HP Pavilion P66xx and S56xx and HPE-4xx Desktop Model that were purchased, leased, received as a gift or otherwise acquired in the United States and Canada (the “Program Models”). During the LWSEP, owners of the Program Models whose original HP Limited Warranty has expired and who have experienced or who, during the LWSEP period, experience a system board failure can receive, at no cost to them, a system board replacement by contacting HP before the 1 year LWSEP expires. Owners whose Program Model is still covered by HP’s Limited Warranty can receive any necessary repair (including any necessary system board replacement) free of charge pursuant to that warranty.

Instead of issuing a full blown recall for all the potentially affected machines HP has decided to extend their warranty for another twelve months. Customers who already have an expired warranty will have one year to report the problem. Either way, HP will replace the motherboard free of charge, and will even pay for round-trip shipping.

For more details about the models affected by the failure and information about getting your replacement visit the HP site here.