Inspiron 5577 Hinge Failure

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@4speedblue wrote:

The left hinge on my Inspiron 5577 became loose a few days ago and now the left side of the case is coming apart.  I notified Dell, and they told me "Thank you for the information. Our records indicate that your system warranty has expired. One of the community users may reach out to you in some time."  I have googled the issue with this style of Inspiron and it seems to be common.  Unfortunately Dell is not offering to help me in any way.  Guess I need to buy a new laptop.   HP, Lenovo anybody have a recommendation? 

 

More information here which would seem to confirm the problem. The hinges can be ordered and installed by yourself or a local PC shop, or sent to Dell as the link describes. And more information here as well. And the parts are here.

 

 

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I am also facing the same issue and this has happened to my laptop twice without any jerk or physical damage by me.Both the times the left hinge broke out. I think this is a design issue with the model. The repair cost is too high and now I am not sure what to do.No help from Dell what-so-ever. They are simply denying this being a design issue even after so many complaints.

@JOcean @4speedblue

FWIW, I have a 5577.  It still looks and works like new.  I use my 5577 in my recording studio, not for gaming.

You can get this knot straightened out by Dell Service team for some amount of money.

The loosened hinge can be tightened and you could use your laptop as good as new.

You do not need to buy a new laptop.

You are right. Poor engineering and paper thin bottom case. I have been in IT for over 30 years and own my own consulting company. I contacted Dell when I found that the bottom case holds the 2 pairs of screws that support the hinges ripped right out. I informed them that this is a design flaw that the hinges are two stiff for the flimsy case to support the screws. Dell offered to repair it for around $250 which I refused because it's their design issue. Some people have complained (so I've read here in these forums) that the screws weren't completely tightened (poor Quality Control). Eventually the posts that support the screws in the case snap. My left hinge broke and after a short time, the right side posts snap as well. Since Dell refuses to take responsibility, I notified them that my 20 years of purchase of Dell products as stopped.
I bought a new bottom case for about $30 and repaired it myself with the help of a YouTube video. Just take your time and it isn't hard. And tell Dell to shove it.

I am having same issue, the left hinge is totally snapped out. When i opened the back lid, the screw holding it just came of without even unscrewing. I wonder i have to replace the whole back panel. Really bad quality of build. The dell support didn't help at all.

Same deal here. Bought tons of Dell desktops and laptops for self and family members since 1993. Had the same left hinge issue. Rendered the 5577 so damaged that I had to replace the top case and will now be replacing the bottom case because the locking mechanisms have popped out and the plastic holes are beyond repair and new screen wiring because the screen is in perpetual flicker. When I first approached Dell when this started, they might as well have abbreviated their response  because they could not care less once they get their money for the product or you pay through the nose for a warranty program that, guess what?, they wouldn’t recognize calling the problem “wear and tear”. I’m on my third year of the 5577 and I’ve pretty much spent what I paid for it I’m repairs and parts replacements (AC adapters, defective WiFi adapter wire (the clip warps and breaks), two batteries, a fan, etc.) Dell has simply become a horrible company with fifth-grade quality control and total disdain for customers. I’m just waiting fir the next inevitable part break at which point I’m replacing the whole thing with what, trust me, I’d not going to be a Dell. 

I'm having this same issue. The hinge came away from the case, through the screen, smashing it. As a long time loyal Dell user of laptops and desktops, for them not to own this gross manufacturing failure is very poor customer service and more than enough for me to move away from them. Unfortunately I just bought another one to replace this laptop before I realized what the cause was. Has anyone got any helpful reply from Dell, where they owned the poor material selection, design and/or workmanship that caused so many failures? I would be more than happy to replace the case and screen myself but at a part cost of almost $450, if it was even in stock, which it is not, feels like way too big a risk knowing the same issue could happen again. 

What part in the system did they quote at $450?  The only part in a notebook that costs anywhere near that much is a mainboard.

Or was that damaged as a result of the hinge failure?

Its the full LCD touchscreen display and case. The hinge stayed intact but ripped the plate from the case and broke through the screen. So, even with a new screen, there is nothing for the hinge to attach to.

Such a poor design and nothing but an abusive reply from the technical support supervisor who told me "there is no recall with this model" and even with warranty this is not covered as it was caused by wear and tear due to an accident. Well, wear and tear and an accident are two very different things and if Dell thinks that opening and closing of the screen should cause the hinge / case to break and smash the screen, that is a very significant concern. Bottom line its a material design flaw that Dell will not own. Very poor customer service

My 5577 does not have any hinge problems.  The 5577's are from 2017, 4 years old.  The average life of a laptop is 3 years.  Some last longer but average is 3 years.   If mine developed a hinge problem I would just move on to a new one (and the 5577 is not Windows 11 compatible).

Hello, can you please provide a link where you got the case? I did the same thing, but I noticed that the new one is even more flimsy. The plastic bits where the hinges screw in broke very quickly, after a matter of weeks.

I have 3 of these 5577's sitting on my lab bench.  1 has a flickering display.  I was going to try to cannibalize 1 to make the other 2 work, but I quickly realized all 3 had the same issue with the cheap plastic lower chassis broken/cracked where the monitor hinges are anchored.

What are the odds that all 3 5577's on my lab bench all have the exact same flaw?