Recall Notice: Corsair SF Series Power Supplies

On March 29, 2020, Corsair quietly announced a recall of recently manufactured SF series small form factor power supplies. After receiving greater than normal RMA rates they conducted an internal investigation and decided to recall the units manufactured between October 2019 and March 2020. Not only are they offering a full replacement for the affected units, but they are also offering the replacements in advance. Here is the quote from the Corsair Forums.

To CORSAIR Customers

We have recently identified higher-than normal RMA rates among our SF family of small-form-factor PSUs. Following a thorough investigation, we have found a potential issue that can manifest when the PSU is exposed to a combination of both high temperatures, and high humidity. This regrettably can cause the PSU to fail. This issue potentially affects units in lot codes 194448xx to 201148xx, manufactured between October 2019 and March 2020

This problem can be apparent as soon as the unit is powered on for the first time, or manifest over time as the unit is exposed to a range of environmental conditions. We want to reassure customers that impacted units in no way risk damage to the components and hardware connected to your SF series PSU. This fault can occur only on the primary side of the PSU and is entirely isolated from the DC side of the PSU’s transformer that delivers power to your PC’s hardware.

While this issue does not, and will not, impact every unit manufactured within this time, out of an abundance of caution and commitment to the quality of the SF-Series, we are starting a voluntary product replacement program for owners of SF PSUs within this lot code range.

Impacted customers can submit a ticket at the below form, with the Subject “SF Series voluntary product replacement,” if they wish to replace their potentially affected power supply

https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/re…d=360000914791

Our pre-paid Advanced RMA process will be available for customers which need to minimize downtime and disruption. The originally purchased unit will need to be returned to CORSAIR, at our expense.

We wish to reiterate that only SF Series PSUs in lot codes 194448xx to 201148xx, manufactured between October 2019 and March 2020, are potentially affected. All SF-series PSUs purchased before October 2019 are not affected. You can identify your PSU’s lot code by referring to its packaging, or the serial number sticker on power supply’s side.

We understand that the replacement of a PSU is a disruptive process and while only a small percentage of units will be affected with no risk to end user components, we feel this is the right decision to ensure concerned customers that their PC is powered by a PSU with the reliability and quality they expect from CORSAIR.

Many Thanks,

CORSAIR Customer Service Team

It is great to see a manufacturer be proactive rather than reactive with recalls, especially with a product like a power supply. If you own an SF series power supply with lot codes ranging from 194448xx to 201148xx you can click on this link to submit a ticket.  You will also need to include “SF Series voluntary product replacement” in the subject line.

-John Nester(Blaylock)

 

About John Nester 399 Articles
John started writing and reviewing PC components for Overclockers.com in 2015, but his passion for PCs dates all the way back to the early 1980s. His first personal computer was a Commodore 64 with a cassette drive. As a dedicated member of the news team, he focuses his articles on new product releases and software updates. He reviews a wide variety of PC components including chassis, storage drives, keyboards, and more. John works in technology as a C.A.D. designer for a major automotive manufacturer. His other passions in life include motorcycles, hunting, guns, and football.

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Avatar of freakdiablo
freakdiablo
5,414 messages 728 likes

Wow, at least they're owning up to it. Did they ever say what the issue was, other than on the AC side and high temps and humidity can cause it to fail?

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Avatar of Blaylock
Blaylock

"That Backfired" Senior Member

8,003 messages 855 likes

Not the root cause, but under high temperatures and high humidity the power supplies failed at a higher rate than normal.

I love that they are covering all shipping cost and sending out the PSU's in advance to minimize user downtime. To me this says a lot about their commitment to customer satisfaction. Basically raising their hand, admitting they screwed something up, and are doing everything they can to make it as right as possible.

Conversely, I also think it's a smaller number of units affected than if it was, say, their RM line. Hopefully they would have handled it the same, but I do have my doubts.

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Avatar of BugFreak
BugFreak
2,411 messages 648 likes

I love that they are covering all shipping cost and sending out the PSU's in advance to minimize user downtime. To me this says a lot about their commitment to customer satisfaction. Basically raising their hand, admitting they screwed something up, and are doing everything they can to make it as right as possible.

Agreed 100%. I like to see a company step up properly. Pre-shipping and covering shipping is a big cost and risk to them. I remember trying to RMA an ek product which became such a PITA that I finally gave up. Good to see my Corsair loyalty is deserved...at least right now.

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Avatar of freakdiablo
freakdiablo
5,414 messages 728 likes

Not the root cause, but under high temperatures and high humidity the power supplies failed at a higher rate than normal.

Yeah I noticed that. Was more just a curiosity, like if it's a section that wasn't soldered right and is failing at under harsh but still normal conditions.

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Avatar of DeViLzzz2010
DeViLzzz2010

Registered

26 messages 0 likes

Never jumped on board and never will. Sorry but Corsair and psus are not for me. I will stick with the players that have been in the game making quality psus for a much longer time. Good that Corsair did the right thing here but there have been other series they have made that have had questionable quality.

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Avatar of freakdiablo
freakdiablo
5,414 messages 728 likes

Their mid to high tiered supplies are actually pretty respectable. And while I wouldn't use one in my primary desktop the CX/CM lines were my go-to PSUs for cheap builds for a while.

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Avatar of dejo
dejo

Senior Moment Senior Member

4,166 messages 77 likes

from my experience, Corsairs warranty has been second to none. Not that I have had to use it often- when I did it was always phenomenal. Light years better than my 2 instances of Asus's supposed "service"

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W
Woomack

Benching Team Leader

13,180 messages 2,183 likes

Both my SF are fine and were running at high temps in ITX builds. But I think that the last one still has about a year so it isn't anywhere close to the mentioned units. So far I had a good experience with Corsair PSUs.

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Avatar of Culbrelai
Culbrelai

Member

1,803 messages 9 likes

Never jumped on board and never will. Sorry but Corsair and psus are not for me. I will stick with the players that have been in the game making quality psus for a much longer time. Good that Corsair did the right thing here but there have been other series they have made that have had questionable quality.

My Corsair AX1200 has been going strong for 8 years now... Never heard of a questionable series from them.

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W
Woomack

Benching Team Leader

13,180 messages 2,183 likes

My 10 year+ HX850 survived water cooling leak and after drying was working without issues next 2-3 years (think it still works, I'm just not using it anymore) ... but since then is pink inside as water was with a red dye :)

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