Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Screens Are Spontaneously Cracking

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 owners are reporting that their laptop screens are spontaneously cracking without being dropped, hit, or otherwise used out of the ordinary.

Yesterday, Windows MVP and enthusiast Rafael Rivera noticed numerous posts [1, 2, 3] where Surface Laptop 3 owners report that their screens are suddenly cracking.

Upon further searching, BleepingComputer found two more topics posted to the Microsoft forums in February 2020 where Surface Laptop 3 owners reported [1, 2] the same problems.

Almost all of the owners report the same thing; they use their laptop as normal, put it away for the night, and the next day when going to use it, they notice a crack in the screen such as the one below.

"I have a surface laptop 3 15" and i have had it for a month. I took it all over asia and it was perfectly fine. Then i went to school and i opened it up in my first class. MASSIVE HAIRLINE CRACK," one owner posted to the Microsoft forums along with an image of their cracked screen.

When some of the affected owners spoke to Microsoft about the issue they were told that they would need to send the laptop to Microsoft for a screen replacement, which would cost $500.

One Surface owner, though, was told that Microsoft is aware of the reports and is investigating the issue but could not give a time frame for resolution.

"Microsoft has acknowledge in the latest correspondence with the store I purchased the device from that they are investigating other reports of the same issue. However they could not provide a time frame on when they would find a solution or resolve the issue."

Issues like this are commonly caused by how the hardware was assembled such as tightening screws too much that it increases the tension throughout the device or not sealing components properly so they are improperly exposed to the environment. 

When we contacted Microsoft about this issue, they provided the following statement:

"A limited number of Surface Laptop customers have contacted Microsoft and have reported screens that have cracked through no fault of their own.  We are evaluating the situation and investigating the root cause of the claims." -a Microsoft Spokesperson