Thank you Framework Team. The replacement bottom arrived yesterday and I just fitted it.
The guide is very good and it would have taken under an hour, if I hadn’t got stuck on re-connecting the wifi card .. one of the connectors just didn’t want to click .. until it did.
It’s left me very impressed with how well thought out my FW12 is and how easy it is to dismantle. It reminded me of building 486 PCs back in the day.
BTW, the problem is fixed, hope my post didn’t sound too harsh. Thanks again to the Framework Support for sending the replacement input cover!
But I’m still worried about the fact that it happened after not even 1 year of use and the bottom covers are still prone to cracking. I hope Framework Team will be able to sort this out.
Heard back from support, they are requesting complete photos of all sides. I plan to capture those photos soon.
On a side note I am excited for the new upgrade path for FW 12
I Cancelled my batch 1 preorder because of this thread. I am wondering if i made the wrong decision as it looks like a cool little laptop. I have a hard time believing that framework would update the specs without addressing this but from this thread it looks like the plastic cracking is still an ongoing issue. can anyone weigh in on if this is still an ongoing issue? how many 2026 machines are having this issue? id appreciate any input.
I bought one back in January 2026 and so far no cracks.
The replacement bottom cover I received after the original one had cracks is still fine.
Plastic laptops are always a bit prone to cracking, but I believe the manufacturing problem has been fixed. There will still be occasional cracks even with the new laptops, either because of rare manufacturing defects or because people mishandle their laptops, but I personally wouldn’t worry about it.
That said, it might be fine to not buy the laptop in the current state. Framework is still trying to improve on the screen and speakers, which are both kinda bad, and I assume they’re also working on an updated case that’s a bit more robust since the Framework 13 case also had several revisions with improvements.
I was affected by this issue and RMAed my covers about two months ago. Support did not acknowledge there was a known issue or whether the issue had been fixed.
The new bottom cover has started cracking in the exact same way as the first. I am not rough with it, and rarely take it anywhere.
I’m probably not going to go through the trouble of RMAing again unless something actually snaps off like last time, since it’s apparent the problem still hasn’t been fixed.
I hope Framework can either properly fix the problem, or provide a new version of the case that uses a more durable material (like aluminum). I’m honestly very surprised this wasn’t one of the top feedback items for their FW12 refresh.
Just a small update. After the latest crack showed up on my latest bottom cover, Framework requested my top cover, bottom cover, and hinges back so engineering could investigate further.
It’s a shame that it’s still happening, but it sounds like they are still working to get to the bottom of the causes.
Similar experience here but only with the bottom cover. Framework Support sent me a new bottom cover and, similarly to you, requested me to send them my current bottom cover for engineering team to investigate. To be fair, I’m not sure if the bottom cover I’ve received late april uses the fixed process or not - the only difference I’ve noticed is more glue around metal inserts in the corners.
Regardless, I’m happy to help them.
Thanks for the input everyone. it has confirmed my decision to wait on this one. maybe next iteration with a new screen and casing is when i will pull the trigger.
A replacement from Week 10 2026 has lasted roughly until today. I wonder how long it takes until cracks make the cover unusable.
On the contrary my original top cover (assembled on Week 51 2025) lasted without a single cracks around 3 months since I purchased the laptop.
My original bottom cover developed several cracks near the screws very quickly. After five months with no problems, I thought maybe the replacement cover (received in March, not sure of any date codes) might be a winnner. It just developed a 30 mm long hairline crack from one of the expansion bay corners toward the center. I notified support and we’ll see what happens.
Have my case open with support now, just waiting to hear back from them. (it was escalated and the email said to give it 3-5 working days to hear back although its now been 2 weeks without a response).
I was finally able to get the 6 photos showing all sides of my system emailed. Now to patiently await a response.
Both of the corners of my display have cracked and fallen off.
This happened with one of my previous displays as well but only on one corner.
I think I didn’t notice sooner because they’re hidden under the bezel.
Shoot me your Support number and Ill check it.
Hey! Send me your last order number via DM. Id like to check something.
I had this happen on one of my corners too. For me, it might has been due to over-tightening, but that really shouldn’t break something that’s supposed to be a structural part.
I agree. It’s been a while since I put this display in so I don’t remember how much I tightened them. :\
You really have to be so gentle with this machine in general.
Well the conversation was fast, Support are sending the bottom cover replacement. Now to wait and do the repair once it arrives.
