Western Digital promises to release firmware update for failing SanDisk Extreme SSDs

Western Digital says it will release a firmware update to address a reliability issue with its SanDisk Extreme and Extreme Pro SSDs. Over the past few months, Reddit, the SanDisk forums and Twitter have been littered with people complaining of their recently purchased 4TB and 2TB Extreme V2 and Extreme Pro V2 portable drives suddenly erasing the data they had on them and, in some cases, becoming unreadable. The issue is seemingly limited to drives manufactured since the end of 2022 and appears to affect 4TB models primarily.

On Friday, Western Digital shared its first public statement on the issue since it was discovered months ago, telling ArsTechnica it had a software update ready for 4TB Extreme and Extreme Pro variants. “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 company said. “We have resolved the issue and will publish a firmware update to our website soon. Customers with questions or who are experiencing issues should contact our Customer Support team for assistance.”

Western Digital did not say when the update would arrive, nor if it was also working on a fix for 2TB models. According to ArsTechnica, the company did not answer questions if it would offer refunds to customers who lost their data after one of their Extreme or Extreme Pro SSDs failed. Western Digital did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment and more information. If you own a SanDisk Extreme or Extreme Pro SSD you bought before the end of 2022, chances are your drive is fine, and you don’t need to worry about it abruptly failing. Still, Western Digital’s slow response is disappointing, especially since SanDisk drives are generally known for their reliability.