WD is replacing select HGST Ultrastar drives due to high failure rates

Western Digital has encountered a problem with a batch of HGST Ultrastar enterprise drives. The manufacturer is working with customers to replace the affected hard drives.

Western Digital does not specify exactly what the problem is in its report, which is quoted by The Register. It is clear that the disks fail more often than may be expected. According to the manufacturer, this concerns ‘specific situations and usage scenarios’.

Western Digital also claims that it concerns a ‘small, isolated’ quantity of the HGST Ultrastar HDDs. The manufacturer says it is working with customers to detect and replace hard drives where the problem may arise.

HGST drives exhibit relatively few failures compared to competitors at the online storage service provider Backblaze. However, these are consumer HGST Deskstar drives. The Ultrastar HDDs are intended for heavy loads and long life, but are also more expensive.