Surface 4 Pro screen bulging at lower left edge and separated from the frame

Anonymous
2017-11-04T20:36:18+00:00

I have a Surface 4 Pro that I purchased in March 2016. Over the last few days, I was seeing a considerable color bleed on lower left edge of the screen. Then I stared noticing that that type cover does not seem to close flat against the screen. On closer inspection, I found that the screen is bulging (curving out) on the lower left side and the screen edge has separated from the frame, exposing a gap, Some of the circuitry inside seems to be pushing out as well from what I can see through the gap, indicating something inside is exerting an outward pressure. I pushed the screen back in and with a little pressure it got flattened. However, after a few minutes use, the screen bulged out again. There is no physical damage to the screen, the bezel or the device in general, no cracks or scratches.

What is causing this and what is a possible solution?

Thanks,

Deepak

Surface | Surface Pro | Display and screen

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments

295 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Anonymous
    2021-12-21T14:41:03+00:00

    I am working on my 3rd battery. The second was replaced by Microsoft even though it was just out of warrantee. Thank you.

    Some observations

    The screen shattered when I tried to disassemble. One really needs to heat it to 100c to allow the glue to melt. I did not invest in "heating kit" but I did buy a tool set and tried a hair dryer. In any event it took several weeks working part time to scrape all the bits and pieces of the old screen and remove the battery. I managed to locate most (but not all) of the screws that hold the motherboard onto the case and lifted the board enough to remove the battery wiring. I also noticed that some of the screw heads were stripped as the repair center had as much trouble removing screws as I did. Some screws I had to use needle nose plyers to turn as the Torx simply spun on the screw head. Only a few screws were damaged and none by me.

    The new screen I got on eBay flickered as it was a Samsung made in 2015 and I returned it. I got an LG surface pro 5 screen and ribbon cable adapter to surface pro 4. The new screen worked perfectly. I did not glue the new battery in and will use only a few "cut" pieces of the adhesive tape as I do not want to go through scrapping all the glue out again for the 4th battery.

    I had one screw left over after re-assembling. There was a hole for it but the screw was not long enough to tighten and I do not want to take it apart to find the correct screw.

    I will never buy another tablet, netbook, or laptop without checking the "repairability index" first.

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2019-04-27T13:34:15+00:00

    I purchased my SP4 (I5, 8G ram, 256G drive) in February 2016 (over 3 years ago) and just had this problem, screen separating on lower left.  I followed the lead of RobertGraban (thanks Robert!) and went to support.microsoft.com/devices and logged in to my Microsoft account.  It showed my SP4, which I had registered.   I selected it and reported a problem.  The resulting page said "This device is out of warranty you will be charged  so ...".  That made me feel a little nervous but I went on with it and selected "talk to a support agent".  That resulted in a dialog that asked for my phone number.  I filled it in and within about 20 seconds of submitting that page, I got a call back from a Microsoft agent.  She asked some questions, and asked for photos of the problem.  While online with the agent, I submitted the photos.  She also asked for the serial number of the charger (perhaps that has something to do with the problem?).   The agent said the problem has been "elevated" and I'll get an email within 3 days.  She could not answer any questions about the problem or about what would be done.  The entire process of reporting the problem took no more than 20 minutes.  The next morning I had the email saying "Your Service Order Has Been Created", along with instructions.  They will send packaging for the SP4 and shipping label.  It showed 11-13 business days for estimated delivery time.  Now, I can go into my account and see status.  Right now it shows "Your package is on its way".  It shows a cost of $0.  Service Type is showing "In Warranty - Standard Exchange (Swollen Battery)".   I'm VERY surprised and pleased the service I got.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2019-04-23T08:48:04+00:00

    Hi RANGANATHAN,

    I took mine to a Microsoft Store and they exchanged it with no questions asked.

    Was it still in warranty?

    mine is out of warranty and microsoft is replacing it with a refurbished model at cost of $650. 

    Microsoft has produced a faulty product and rather than replacing it is gouging more money.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2018-11-12T17:41:33+00:00

    I wanted to update my original post and let you all know that Microsoft came through for me. We paid around $2,400 for my Surface Pro 4 about 1.5 years ago. So the unit was out of warranty when the screen started bulging and separating from its casing. The URL that Robert posted was the one I used to reach out to Microsoft. They totally came through for me. They first sent in a replacement Surface Pro 4 that had less hard drive and RAM than the mine. When I emailed them and let them know their replacement unit didn't match my original specs, they asked for me to send it back and then they sent a Surface Pro 4, with the same specs my now bulging unit had, i.e., 512 GB, 16GB RAM, i7 processor, same exact specs of my original unit. Thanks to me using OneDrive for all my files, it was an easy thing to get my new SP4 up and running. I'm super thankful for the excellent service I received from Microsoft. One thing to note... when you first contact Microsoft and go through the online survey, mark this as a safety issue, which it is. It's not a broken screen issue but rather a safety issue.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  5. Anonymous
    2018-09-20T22:26:07+00:00

    Thanks, Robert, for the URL. This is exactly the same problem I have with my SP4. It started bulging about a month ago and the separation of the screen from its casing has kept going so now the screen is lifting from the left side as well as as the bottom. I have several rubberbands holding the screen to the casing so it doesn't separate any more than it already has. 

    Thanks to the URL you provided in your post, I was able to reach a live person. When going thru the Virtual Agent's questions, I did select "safety issue" as my concern, based on the scary stories I've been reading about bulging SP4 screens. The chat with the virtual agent asked for my phone number and then a live Microsoft support person called me within about 10-15 mins. She asked a number of questions, asked me to turn the unit off and stop using it. She sent me an email with a link for me to upload photos. I took four different photos, showing the screen was not cracked but it was bulging and separating from its casing.

    After the Microsoft support person received the photos, she said this needed to be escalated and that I would hear back from Microsoft in 2-3 days. I'm hoping that is the case and I do hear back from MS and they can replace my bulging touch-sensitive screen with a flat one. My SP4 is a 512GB i7 with 16GB RAM unit and we paid a pretty penny for it. I'm really counting on Microsoft to fix this for me because I just LOVE using this unit, so much so that now, because of all my bragging about my Surface, my husband and now my son, who is in grad school, have also purchased Surface units. I'll let you all know how it works out.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments