SSD Data loss issue at SanDisk/Western Digital

If you have a relatively new Sandisk or Western Digital Solid State Drive (SSD) then you should probably take note of the following.

Back in May 2023, Western Digital advised it was releasing a firmware update to address a reliability issue with its SanDisk Extreme and Extreme Pro SSDs. However we understand that this did not necessarily fix the issue and we also have heard that some replacement drives provided by Western Digital (SanDisk's parent company) were also reported to be failing.

We now understand that Western Digital is facing a lawsuit over its storage drives. In essence it is being accused of knowingly selling defective SSDs. And it has "engaged in a scheme to mislead consumers" over the extent of the issue.

So, which SSDs are affected?

From the Western Digital's firmware update page, it includes the following SSD's:

SanDisk Extreme Portable 4TB (SDSSDE61-4T00)

SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 4TB (SDSSDE81-4T00)

SanDisk Extreme Pro 2TB (SDSSDE81-2T00)

SanDisk Extreme Pro 1TB (SDSSDE81-1T00)

WD My Passport 4TB (WDBAGF0040BGY)

Users can enter the drive's serial number to find out if it is affected. The link has changed over time, but as of publishing this its at: https://support-en.wd.com/app/...

User feedback suggests the issue appears to be limited to SSDs' manufactured after November 2022, although this has not been - as far as we know - officially confirmed.

The Problem

The SSD's appear to start having read and write errors once they get to half full. At that point the SSD then seems to shows up as unformatted. We have also heard reformatting doesn't fix the issue and of course your data is gone.

Our Advice

If you have one of these affected drives, then we advise you to do your own investigations and in the interim stop using it. Backup all your data on the drive by copying it to a different unaffected SSD or a more traditional hard drive (HDD).