I recently went on a trip and took my DJI Mini 4 Pro to capture some footage. About 10 minutes into the flight, I left it hovering with no controller input. The weather was perfect, and there were no warnings on the DJI Fly app. Suddenly, the drone started acting erratically. Despite an open sky above it and nothing around it for at least 4-5 meters, the drone inexplicably struck me in the face (the only thing nearby) and fell. I picked it up, seconds later, I realized the battery was on fire, with heavy smoke and flames. I managed to record a video as the flame died down, but I had to throw away the battery since I couldn’t take it on my flight home.
Since my drone was still under warranty, I opened a ticket with DJI and explained everything. They told me I needed to send the drone in for inspection, so I did. They came back with a $450 repair quote, claiming the camera and flight control modules were water-damaged. I explained that I dropped it onto wet sand when it caught fire, but this issue only happened because of the drone’s malfunction. After three weeks of back-and-forth and sharing flight data from the app, they showed me a graph indicating that the drone’s ultrasonic sensors misdetected an “object” below, which apparently triggered its obstacle avoidance and led to the crash.
Here’s the kicker: They confirmed that everything I reported was accurate, yet they still refused to cover it under warranty. I argued that the malfunction and fire weren’t my fault and should be covered. They agreed it wasn’t my fault but still insisted I pay for repairs, eventually offering a 60% discount. I reluctantly accepted, but even after a month, I still haven’t received the updated quote. Despite several reminders to include the battery in the quote, they just won’t do it.
Between the frustrating AI assistants, long waits to speak to anyone helpful, and repeatedly sending videos and photos with no resolution, this has been a nightmare. What else am I supposed to do as a customer?!
Indigo said:
DJI’s customer service is usually pretty solid, honestly.
I’ve had a good experience with their drones in the past, too. I’d even accept their discount offer at this point, but they haven’t even made it official yet.
Wait, so it hit your face, the battery caught fire right after it crashed, and you put it into wet sand for safety, but then folded the arms? Just checking if I got that right.
Zen said:
Wait, so it hit your face, the battery caught fire right after it crashed, and you put it into wet sand for safety, but then folded the arms? Just checking if I got that right.
Yes, that’s basically it. After it hit my face, it dropped onto a wooden block (you can see this in the video). I folded the arms while unmounting my phone from the controller. Then it suddenly caught fire, and I dropped it. The sand was only slightly damp from the air, not wet from seawater. It all happened super fast—less than 30 seconds from impact to fire. Thankfully, I was wearing glasses, so my face was fine.
Zen said:
Wait, so it hit your face, the battery caught fire right after it crashed, and you put it into wet sand for safety, but then folded the arms? Just checking if I got that right.
River said: @Jai
DJI’s weird like that. They’ll sometimes cover obvious user errors just for good PR, but when it’s their fault, they push back.
Exactly! And the frustrating part is, they aren’t even blaming me—yet they still won’t fully cover the repair. It’s about the principle more than the cost. If the product malfunctions and it’s not user error, then they should honor the warranty.
We’re really sorry to hear this. Please make sure to get medical help if needed and take pictures of any injuries or damage. Could you provide your case number so we can look into it further?
Willow said:
We’re really sorry to hear this. Please make sure to get medical help if needed and take pictures of any injuries or damage. Could you provide your case number so we can look into it further?
Thanks for reaching out. My case number is CAS-18805583-P0G4N5. Fortunately, I only got a minor scratch thanks to my glasses, so no visible injury to report. My main issue is that support confirmed there was no obstacle nearby, and yet the obstacle avoidance system misdetected something below and caused the drone to fly erratically into me.
@Jai
Thanks for the details. We’re taking this seriously and will forward it to the right team for further investigation. We’ll keep you posted once we have more information. Appreciate your patience.
Hadi said:
Looks like saltwater damage on the battery. Could this have been an operator error?
Expected this question, so here’s DJI’s own analysis:
>1. The unit was in APAS mode with strong GPS. Drone was responsive to commands.
>2. At t=671.1s, at -0.5m height and 10.1m from the home point, an impact was recorded.
>3. No commands were input before impact.
>4. Drone was hovering before impact.
>5. The ultrasonic sensors registered abnormal height drops, triggering obstacle avoidance and resulting in impact/crash.
Basically, nothing was actually around it, and I wasn’t controlling it. If it detects something below, shouldn’t it go up? DJI’s data shows it barely gained height but moved laterally instead.
Willow said:
Hi, we apologize for any trouble. The latest quote, which includes batteries, has been sent. Please check.
I got an email saying they’d replace the drone and battery at a discount, but the latest quote only shows individual repair fees, not a full replacement.
