Mos Eisley: Tatooine.
After losing a class action lawsuit today Industrial Automation began recalls on their problematic R5 line of astromechs. The R5s have been plagued by protruding motivators that have malfunctioned (nicknamed Blown Motivator of Death or BMoD). It appears that the failure rate of the R5 line is sitting somewhere around 54.2 percent, causing the largest class action lawsuit in galactic history.
Industrial Automation has issued a press release finally acknowledging the flaw with the droids, abandoning their previous stance that the failures were due to abuse and poor maintenance of them. It turns out the design flaw is due to the poor design of their thermal dampeners, which overheat the motivator causing it to blow.
Due to their warmer climates, planets such as Tatooine have reported higher numbers of R5 malfunctions.
Industrial Automation has posted instructions on the holonet to send malfunctioned units in for repair, however the repair time is 21 days. Not having their astromech for this long of a period could prove problematic for moisture farmers around harvest time, when they will need them most.
Industrial Automation has extended the warranty of the R5 line to three years from the original sales date, however they don’t guarantee repair on units purchased secondhand from Jawa tribes, as many farmers are known to do in attempts to increase their savings. Industrial Automation still points to this trade practice as the leading cause of the malfunctioning droids, stating that Jawas are notorious for making their own repairs using inferior parts, and in doing so they are voiding the warranties of these units. Industrial Automation urges customers inspect their astromechs before purchase as Jawas are not certified technicians.
