XPS 15 9550 touchpad issue that Dell apparently can't fix

While I don't have an issue with the touch pad, it is clear that my problem is also related to the battery swelling.

I purchased a Dell XPS 15-9530 in September 2015. I had decided to spend the extra money for that laptop thinking that surely it would be of a high quality and standard. It was great to start with, but after a while - actually just after the warranty ran out like many other users here - it started developing bubbles on the palm wrests and the edges seem to be lifting. Also it is getting hotter than it used to when editing video. After a bit of searching I have ended up here, only to be totally disheartened that the problem is so prevalent and Dell do not seem to really care.

This laptop was not cheap. The support and updates for it have been very poor to say the least. I now regret spending all that money and have completely lost faith with Dell.

I have the same problem. Just called DELL support and same strategy - "I have nothing about this issue in our systems and I do not have time to read forums". Guys - this is a design flaw. Next time I go Apple although I wanted to avoid Apple on the Laptop front.

Actually, Apple laptops suffer from the same issue. That's what lead me to figure out what was wrong with my Dell.

Same problem on my XPS 13, purchased July 2015, still under 3-year warranty. Swollen battery pushed up trackpad, the first Dell engineer didn't spot it so replaced the trackpad, the second recognised it as a battery issue and removed it but Dell haven't (yet) approved a third repair to replace the battery. I don't think they will because the battery isn't included in the warranty, and I'm not sure they even have any batteries - perhaps in recognition that they're faulty and don't want the liability of selling them directly? Their approved supplier also doesn't sell them.

I have a Dell XPS 15 9550. Had it for maybe a little over a year now.

Woah, I have this problem too but I didn't know it was from a swelling battery. Of course, the touch pad being so hard to click is annoying but now i'm more worried about it exploding or something if I push to hard on it.

I must add to the string.  I have a XPS 15 9550, went out of warranty January 2017.  Pad got progressively worse and sometimes stopped working, over time I noticed the pad was not flush and it got steadily worse.  Now it is raised 7cm on left side, 5 on the right.

Has anyone at Dell acknowledged this design flaw?  Has anyone had success getting Dell to cover the repair with devices out of warranty?

I just realized that I have that problem as well with my XPS 15 9550 FHD that I bought in December 2015. I called Dell and explained the problem and mentioned that this seemed to be a recurring issue with this laptop caused by a swollen battery. At first the Dell support person did not think it was a battery issue and if it was, I would have to pay for it. But he apparently checked with someone else and came back telling me to send it in and they will replace the battery or whatever else would be needed. I have a two year warranty so the laptop is covered but the battery supposedly is not. However it appears they are now well aware of the problem and it looks like they may replace it for free. After I talked to the support person, he wanted me to stay on the line so I could talk to his supervisor. The supervisor tried to calm my concerns about this laptop and if it happened once will it happen again. I think they really need to do a recall on this thing. I will update later. This PC looked wonderful when it was first released, but with all the BIOS and driver issues and then this, I may start looking for something else.

JohnD

Swollen batteries are an issue with all devices that use batteries not encased in steel -- that is, in just about everything that uses prismatic batteries wrapped in foil rather than cylindrical cells encased in steel.  There are still systems that use the older battery types - these generally have removeable, rigid-cased outer shells.  It's not possible to design a system as slim as the XPS with these cells.

Apple has had problems with swollen batteries for years - because they were the first to use them.  The PC world followed suit, and the problem is now following PCs as well - along with cell phones, and other devices using these batteries.

I suspect that just as most cell phone users are becoming used to having to replace batteries after about 18 months, so too will slim-notebook users.  The batteries are run at the edge of their endurance, in a hot environment and subject to being drained by high-power components.  Manufacturers are cramming more and more power in to a smaller space.  Doing that pushed Samsung over the edge with the Galaxy Note 7 -- but since there's nothing available commercially to replace lithium ion/polymer cells at the moment, if you want thin and light - it's going to come along with regular battery replacements.

Sent mine in last Friday, got it back Tuesday. Everything seems to be working OK. They uninstalled my AV and Malwarebytes. My only question is if it happened once will it happen again? Is this model doomed to fail again in the future?

JohnD

I'm having the same problem. Dell tech support has been of no help. This is a shame that it is clearly a manufacturing issue and that they refuse to properly replace their flaws. This is my second XPS and I thought it would live up to its name, but I am very disappointed in the quality and in they way Dell does not take responsibility for its products. 

The sad part is that Dell will read these comments and still not act to rectify their problem. It's a shame.

Here at the company I work at, we have about 30 of the Dell XPS 9550s. Our first user experience the DELL battery bloat issue. I spent 3 hours being transferred around on the Dell chat support and ultimately was told to call the out-of-warranty support team no can chat and get my issue resolved. Of course, this happened on a laptop that warranty support expired. 2 months ago. Dell clearly has a bad batch of batteries. And pretending to wash their hands of the issue saying "it's not our problem because someone else made the battery" is utter and complete hogwash. Dell, you put the battery in your laptop, it's your problem. Yeah, go spank the battery manufacturer for building a product. I expect you to do that. But don't pass the problem on to your users. I get that this laptop is out of warranty. I get that I need to pay to have Dell service it in an single incident purchase price. But Dell refuses to sell me a battery directly nor will Tech support touch it. So either grey market purchase a replacement battery. Dell Support use to be awesome. I am constantly transferred from team to team to team and right back to the first team which tried to get rid of me as fast as they could the first time around. Your support services and it's a shame; it used to be the one thing you could count on with Dell. Now you're better off purchasing a laptop from somewhere like Best Buy, and getting their squad support package, because they'll at least honor it in-store.

When Dell called me after I get my computer back, they mentioned that they put in a different model battery. There is a nice command you can run (powercfg /batteryreport) which generates a "battery report". This actually tells you the manufacturer and model of battery you have installed. Fortunately I had run this prior to sending mine in. The original battery was manufactured by SMP and was a Lithium Polymer type. These seem to be what Apple used in their MacBooks. The new battery is manufactured by LGC and is a Lithium-Ion type. Microsoft used these in their Surface Pro tablets and they had issues with them. Hopefully this one will not get bloated.

JohnD

I had the same problem, and thanks to this thread and another one I went on Ebay, got me a different battery, and fixed the problem. Thanks guys! (Not Dell, I am definitely not thanking Dell for this.)

http://imgur.com/gallery/Onq5k

I have the same issue as eelton1. XPS 15 9550 purchased in February of 2016. Touchpad is being forced out of the chassis by the swelling battery. Just noticed it a couple of days ago and I'm on a flight to Argentina where I'll be for the next 6-8 months. This is not what I expected after only one year of use when I dropped over $3000 on a high end "signature series" laptop.

Called Dell support today and after they were done playing hot potato with me, the 5th person I had to repeat my service tag number to told me they could only sell me a refurbished battery but couldn't rush deliver it in order for it to arrive before my flight on Monday, There are also no 3rd party batteries available on Amazon Prime either, so basically I'm SOL.

I guess I'll just wait until the battery explodes or catches fire and then you can sign me up for the class action. Really disappointed with Dell overall and regret not buying a 15" Macbook instead.