EK-XLC Predator 240 and 360 (R1.0) Product recall

EK-XLC Predator 240 and 360 (R1.0) Product recall due to leaks

| Source: EKWB Author: Mark Campbell

EK-XLC Predator 240 and 360 (R1.0) Product recall

EK has recalled their EK-XLC 240mm and 360mm Predator R1.0 AIO water cooling units as they are prone to leaking under certain conditions.

Users of this water cooling unit are urged to RMA their unit as soon as possible for either a full refund or for it to be replaced with a R1.1 unit.

One thing to note here is that we have heard about this problem from EK first and not from disgruntled consumers. It is great to see a company take action against these problems despite the consequences, which will no doubt make EK look bad in the short term.

EK Press Release

EK Water Blocks is regrettably informing the public and its customers that EK-XLC Predator 240 and 360, our pre-filled and pre-assembled all-in-one (AIO) CPU liquid cooling units have to be completely recalled from the market due to potential risk of leakage of liquid from the unit.

Affected products are listed in the table above:

Identification labels (EK-XLC Predator 240 on the left, EK-XLC Predator 360 on the right):

What happened?

What was initially estimated as limited risk situation with small percentage of units developing a leak over time that can be resolved with direct customer contact, turned out to be a more widespread problem.

After receiving first few customer feedbacks in December 2015 about the leakage issue, EKWB identified the issue in the faulty O-ring in the EK-Supremacy MX CPU water block that was used in the unit. Since there had been no complaints from initial pre-order customers before December, EKWB decided that the issue should have originated from the new batch of O-rings used in production at the beginning of November. Therefore, EKWB recalled all affected products at resellers and informed the customers who bought the unit after that period to check the production date accordingly and arrange a replacement unit.

However, with more and more customers reporting the issue we have realized that O-ring issue is not limited to November batch and the only appropriate action to protect customers is a total Product Recall of all sold and unsold units.

All Revision 1.0 units produced from October 2015 until end of December 2015 are potentially affected by the risk of leakage and in order to prevent any computer component damage, the units need to be replaced. The leakage may occur between copper cold plate and bracket on the water block after it is heated up and pressure rises. Current statistics show that 1 out of 10 units leaks.

We are warning all customers of EK XLC-Predator units to discontinue use of cooling device and contact EKWB for replacement unit or refund. EKWB is taking full responsibility for this issue and will be:

- Replacing or refunding all returned units to the customers

- Refunding the customer any computer component damage created by a leakage

- EKWB has redesigned and released a new version of EK-XLC Predator (Revision 1.1) on the 4th of January 2016 that prevents any leakage under normal working modes. All customers with Revision 1.0 units will be offered a replacement R1.1 unit or a full refund. - Revision 1.0 backplate is not compatible with Revision 1.1 backplate!

Visual differences between Revision 1.0 (left) and Revision 1.1 (right)

All customers who bought the Predator directly from EKWB or through a reseller have the follwoing options:

A) In case a customer would like to replace the unit with EK-XLC Predator (Revision 1.1):

USA and EU customers have the option to return the unit directly to EKWB or to Reseller where he bought the unit. Both EKWB and resellers will stock new R1.1 models as soon as possible and can arrange replacement.

A.1) If customer would like to get the unit replaced by EKWB directly please fill out the return form at http://rma.ekwb.com and EKWB service department will initiate the process within 24 hours of received claim. All shipping charges will be covered by EKWB.

Please note that you must create a new account on our RMA site as this system is not the same as our WEB-SHOP. Simply resetting the password will not work.

A.2) If customer would like to return the unit through reseller where he bought it, he needs to contact them for instructions on how to return the unit. EKWB has informed all resellers of their obligations to help out the existing customers with replacement without any extra cost to customers.

B) In case a customer would like a refund:

EKWB and its resellers understand that customers might not want to use EK XLC Predator anymore. We sincerely hope that we did not lose your trust due to this recall and we assure the new revision was tested for all possible leakage scenarios and the modifications are solid.

Still, if the customer does want a refund EKWB and its resellers will offer a full refund to all EK XLC-Predator R1.0 owners until 29th of February 2016.

Please understand that refund can only be done where the product was purchased and not directly at EKWB unless purchased at EKWB webshop.

For any additional information, customers are free to contact EKWB directly in the following ways:

- Email: [email protected]

- Phone for EU customers: +38659096627 (Mon-Fri, 8.00 – 15.00 CET)

- Phone for USA/Canada customers: 1-888-552-7487 (Mon-Fri, 8.00 – 15.00 CST)

You can join the discussion on the EK-XLC Predator 240 and 360 (R1.0) Product recall on the OC3D Forums.

EK has recalled their EK-XLC 240 and 360 Predator R1.0 water cooling units due to leaks https://t.co/b9eJbPYr7h pic.twitter.com/d79XIp2LHH — OC3D (@OC3D) January 13, 2016

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