Sony Facing Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged PS5 Defect

Sony Interactive Entertainment is facing a class action lawsuit in Illinois over allegations the company knowingly covered up a defect in the PlayStation 5's hardware.

The suit was filed by Christina Trejo on July 12, and alleges that the PlayStation 5 contains a fault which causes frequent crashes and sudden loss of gameplay progress. It's worth noting Sony's new-gen console has been available since late 2020 and nothing like what Trejo is describing has ever been reported by the wider PS5 community.

Regardless, Illinois resident Trejo claims Sony was well aware of the console's defect through “warranty repair requests and online consumer complaints”.

“While the PS5 can be used for many entertainment purposes, playing video games on the console is its primary function,” Trejo stated.

“The Console Defect affects users’ ability to play video games and compromises the primary function and overall usage of the PS5. However, despite its knowledge of the Console Defect, Defendant failed to, and continues to fail to, disclose the defect to consumers prior to them purchasing the PS5, nor has Defendant taken any substantial action to remedy the problem."

Trejo purchased her PS5 at a Walmart for $499.99 plus tax, but claims the console began to consistently crash months later. She aims to represent customers around the US who purchased a PS5 in the country, and is suing for violations of Illinois consumer laws, and breach warranty and unjust enrichment. Trejo wants certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial. 

The wider PlayStation community haven't shared many stories similar to the problems Trejo is alleging. However, one far more widespread PS5 issue that has also faced legal action since the console launched is DualSense drift.

Back in 2021 a US law firm announced a class action lawsuit against Sony over the well-documented "drift" defect that can affect DualSense controllers after a period of time, causing the controller's joysticks to near-constantly tug in one direction.

Sony has yet to respond to Trejo's legal action.