Touchpad cable tore during support-directed troubleshooting, declined as CID, now out of stock, I urgently need one

Framework Laptop 13
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Progress: Preparing for shipping a free replacement input cover kit.
Edit 1: I will add photos later, I am downloading them from my NAS now.
Edit 2: Add photo of the cable

DSC_0274 (18)
DSC_0274 (18)1920×2560 671 KB

Edit 3: Add a progress section at the beginning of the article.
Edit 4: Add timeline, update progress

My Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen AI 300) stopped booting, and over several days support had me open the input cover many times for troubleshooting. At the end, they found a tear in the touchpad cable. I always pulled it by the orange connector and lifted the cover slowly.

Support classified it as customer-induced damage (CID). I disagree with the CID classification. I believe this is a design weakness: the cable is quite short when the cover is raised, and it tore even though I handled it carefully during steps support asked me to do.

The cable is out of stock with no restock date. The built-in keyboard doesn’t work, but the touchpad and fingerprint reader work fully, and an external keyboard works fine. I need this cable as soon as possible and am willing to buy it, but there is none to buy.

I’m very disappointed in the repairability I got. I bought Framework because it promised an easy-to-repair laptop, but a 15 USD cable did not survive the troubleshooting steps, and the part can’t be bought. That is not the experience I expected from a repairable design.

Before the CID decision, support replied to me within 2 to 6 hours every time. After it, I wrote to explain my concerns and received only a generic response. I then asked for escalation on Oct 25 and have not had a reply since. Even if Framework keeps its decision, I think they should at least give me first priority to buy the cable when it’s back in stock. I have lost nearly a week of productivity. I trusted Framework enough to use it for my job. I feel helpless right now, and I hope Framework can help me trust it again.

Has anyone else had this cable tear, even with careful handling? And has anyone found a source for it?

Case number: 7GPGPY1B. A Framework staff member is welcome to review it.

*English is not my first language, so I used an AI assistant (Claude) to help write this post. The facts and experience are mine.*

Also a timeline (mainly organized by LLM (cluade), I did some check and remove some redundant things.

Date & time Approach From Summary Wait
1 Oct 21, 2:55 AM Support mail Me Contact form: laptop worked for months, then failed to resume after overnight suspend. No POST, LED cycles red → blue → green → red → solid white. Asked if EC/firmware is broken.
2 Oct 21, 2:55 AM Support mail FW Auto-reply with case number 7GPGPY1B. instant
3 Oct 21, 4:43 AM Support mail FW Asked about changes made, accessories, battery vs AC, parts used, and a video of the LED sequence. 1 h 48 m
4 Oct 21, 7:02 AM Support mail Me No changes made, no accessories, same behavior on battery and AC. Listed charger, RAM and SSD. Sent LED video.
5 Oct 21, 7:42 AM Support mail FW Diagnosed a low-level POST fault. Suggested single RAM stick, isolation test, full reset, different charger. 40 m
6 Oct 21, 9:26 AM Support mail Me Tried all of it, same result. BIOS shows no bootable device and freezes. Laptop gets very hot after force shutdown.
7 Oct 21, 9:27 AM Support mail Me Sent the video link I forgot to attach.
8 Oct 21, 10:40 AM Support mail FW Power drain plus mainboard reset procedure (45 min wait, chassis switch ×10). Asked to test a different SSD. 1 h 13 m
9 Oct 21, 1:12 PM Support mail Me Swapped in a new SSD and did the 45 min wait. BIOS stuck ~10 s, then unresponsive again.
10 Oct 21, 1:36 PM Support mail Me Boots from USB, but most keys don’t respond (only L and Esc), function keys lost.
11 Oct 21, 1:47 PM Support mail Me Suspected the keyboard cable can’t take repeated replugging. Asked whether to reorder it.
12 Oct 21, 2:58 PM Support mail FW Asked for compressed air in SSD slot, photo of empty slot, and photos of mainboard with and without plastic strips. 1 h 11 m
13 Oct 23, 8:22 AM Support mail Me New SSD with Linux works, only built-in keyboard fails. USB keyboard and touchpad work. Asked whether to replace plastic strips.
14 Oct 23, 9:26 AM Support mail FW Asked if it boots without USB, plus photos of input cover, underside, socket and connector. Strips can go back on. 1 h 4 m
15 Oct 23, 2:27 PM Support mail Me Laptop now boots directly from the new SSD.
16 Oct 23, 3:30 PM Support mail FW Glad it boots. Asked for a close-up of the cable, which appears torn. 1 h 3 m
17 Oct 23, 3:55 PM Support mail Me Can’t believe a 15 USD cable can’t survive troubleshooting. Said I’d be disappointed in the repairability.
18 Oct 23, 4:01 PM Support mail FW Asked whether I forced the cable or it was badly positioned when closing the cover. 6 m
19 Oct 24, 1:30 AM Support mail Me Don’t know when the tear appeared. Always pulled the orange connector. Cable is a bit short when cover is lifted.
20 Oct 24, 3:21 AM Support mail FW Asked if external keyboard works, for a VIA keyboard test video, and whether touchpad and fingerprint reader work. 1 h 51 m
21 Oct 24, 10:09 AM Support mail Me External keyboard fine. VIA tester wouldn’t work on Firefox or Chromium. Fn only fails on built-in keyboard. Fingerprint and touchpad work.
22 Oct 24, 11:02 PM Support mail FW Found cable damage, ruled it CID, no warranty replacement. Cable out of stock with no date. May have affected input cover circuitry, so replacing the whole cover may be simpler. 12 h 53 m
23 Oct 25, 12:46 AM Support mail Me Very unsatisfied with cable quality and repairability. Won’t consider Framework for serious use. Parts impossible to buy.
24 Oct 25, 9:21 AM Support mail FW Generic apology, feedback documented, no action offered. 8 h 35 m
25 Oct 25, 5:44 PM Support mail Me Escalation request: goodwill cable or cover, priority or reserved stock, willing to pay if needed, question about preventing tears.
26 Oct 26, 12:22 PM Support mail Me Short follow-up asking if the ticket is closed or has any update. no reply after 18 h 38 m
27 Oct 26, 9:36 PM Forum Me Posted on Community, Laptop 13 category, with the case number.
28 Oct 26, 10:03 PM Forum Squiggler (community member) Sympathy, suggested replacing at company cost, and tagged @Eagle to look up the case. 27 m
29 Oct 26, 10:11 PM Forum Me Thanked them. Said I couldn’t tell if the case was closed or being worked quietly.
30 Oct 26, 10:16 PM Forum Eagle (FW staff) Asked for order or support ID, then saw it in the post and said he’d check the case. 40 m after post
31 Oct 27, 8:49 AM Support mail FW After review, decided to send a replacement input cover kit. Asked for shipping details. 10 h 33 m after Eagle, 39 h 5 m after escalation
32 Oct 27, 10:04 AM Support mail Me Sent address and thanks. Asked: return the old cover? Same Traditional Chinese (2nd Gen) layout? 1 h 15 m
33 Oct 27, 10:55 AM Support mail FW Replacement approved as a one-time exception, free of charge. Order is in my account. Open packaging carefully and reuse it to return the old cover. Return label comes in a separate email. 51 m
34 Oct 27, 10:55 AM Support mail FW Return will be collected by SF Express Taiwan. Asked for best pickup day and time.
35 Oct 27, 11:50 AM Support mail Me Gave pickup windows.

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Darn it, sending sympathies. I think for a broken cable they should just agree to replace it at company cost - it is hardly worth losing goodwill over such a trivial item.

Since you don’t have a Pro, there may be less stock pressure on this item than if you had a newer model. You never know, they might have a spare cable hiding down the back of the sofa…

We have some customer support staff here, and they are very willing to assist. @Eagle Can you look up the case number and poke a helpful person?

(Thank you for declaring the AI assistance - keep doing that!)

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Thank you for the prompt response.
I feel warms and thankful , when I get fist few supporting mails, all in 3 hours.
Can not image that things would go wrong like that.
And I feels the support team want to solve the problem, indeed the bios locked problem resolved, but after the CID message, there is no response and I an not tell whether the case is closed, or the staffs are trying to solving my problem silently.
(Sorry I run out all the LLm token. now I type in person, so the phase is less readable)

Edit: Sorry I thought you are a framework staff. Now I feel even more thankful to you for lend me a hand.

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Hey! DM me your order number or support ID and Ill take a look for ya. EDIT: just saw you included it in your OP. Ill check it.

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You’re welcome. Correct, I am not a member of staff. Most people here are customers and users (I just bought a 13 Pro). But we have some staff here (Eagle and others) who work too many hours keeping customers happy.

A little tip for the support system: if you have a ticket open, sending an email to ask about progress unfortunately resets the “time waited” counter. It is counter-intuitive, but it is what it is.

Finally, if you need a free AI system, try this one. I have no affiliation to them, but I use it every day. You can choose from several LLM models, and you don’t even need an account. (LLM writing in English does have a slightly synthetic quality, at least for now, so I encourage folks not to rely on them entirely).

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The OP is a new user, so I wonder if DMs won’t work for them. The case number is in the top post though.

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It seems I just get the permission. maybe because I have interact with you on this post?

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Ah, great! Yes, writing some posts bumps up a person’s permissions in this forum system.

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After @Eagle reached out, Framework Support has agreed to send me a new input cover kit, not just the cable. Thank you @Squiggler and @Eagle for your help.

I’ll keep updating this post to reflect my experience with the RMA process. So far, the response has been better than I expected.

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By the way @Chen-I_Hsu, welcome to the community.

I am glad to hear Framework is sending out a new cover with the cable. I was thinking about that this afternoon after I read this thread.

Sadly, the lastest supply chain issues have been hurting parts for everyone in almost every industry. Especially electronics though. It is not common for a SSD to fail but it does happen to a small percentage of devices.

If you use this device for work or home/work maybe get a spare cable for the future once it comes back in stock. I know I bought a few spare parts after I got my first Framework so that I would not be without parts if I needed them. One of the other parts I bought on top of more expansion cards was the screw kit for the Framework Laptop 13. If I ever lost or one became damaged I wanted to have some spares on hand. They were only a few dollars.

I hope this translates ok in your native language. Happy to hear squiggler and Eagle helped you get this closer to being repaired.

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Thank you for the kind suggestion, especially buy some additional screw kit which is easy to get ignored without reminding. I am planing buy one more cable once it backs to stock.

For the experience about SSD, I noticed that the design of FW13 may be a little more hot than some other laptops. I’ll consider Add silicon thermal pad and only use better quality ssd in the future. Currently the SSD market is very insane, so I am more careful when buying ssd this year. Now I only buy TLC SSD from either kioxia (exceria g2, price is fair and ssd is cooler, single sided , but TBW is lower) or transcend (MTE220s, extremely high TBW, I used for several years). Also considering Kingston. I bought micron earlier just because every other models I preferred is out of stock when purchasing this laptop.

And for the cable, maybe I could put a piece of acrylic tape on the cable to protect it? Or use kapton better?

I think I can understand your message. I do read a lot English in my work, just do not good at writing article.

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