Microsoft extends 360 warranty to cover 'E74' errors

Software giant expands three-year coverage after conceding "very small percentage" of console owners suffering from mystery error; will automatically refund repairs.

Though the Xbox 360 beat its competitors to market by a year, Microsoft paid a heavy price for the privilege of launching in November 2005. According to research done by VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi, 360 hardware was experiencing a 68 percent failure rate off of the assembly line at one point. Once on sale, the console was beset by so many "Red Ring of Death" (RROD) errors that Microsoft spent upwards of $1 billion replacing more than 1.2 million of the initial batch of 11.6 million 360s under an unprecedented three-year warranty plan.

The Black Screen of Death?
Image credit: xbox360help.blogspot.com

Now, in addition to the infamous RROD, Microsoft's warranty will cover a new issue with the 360 hardware. After weeks of increasing reports of consoles displaying an "E74 Error" after ceasing to function (pictured), the company has announced via its support Web site that the completely free, three-year warranty is being extended to cover the problem--which is apparently RROD-related.

"While the majority of Xbox 360 owners continue to have a great experience with their console, we are aware that a very small percentage of our customers have reported receiving an error that displays 'E74' on their screen," the company said in a statement. "After investigating the issue, we have determined that the E74 error message can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console."

As with the RROD, the warranty covers the Xbox 360 for only three years after its date of manufacture, which can be found on the back of the box. As many early adopters have discovered, consoles made during the 360's first six months on the market are no longer covered and will have to be replaced at the owner's expense. Microsoft is assuring purchasers of new 360s that it has "already made improvements to the console that will reduce the likelihood of an occurrence of this issue."

Anyone experiencing the E74 error should visit www.xbox.com/support to see if his or her console is under warranty. As with the RROD, Microsoft will send a mailer that will let owners send in their afflicted 360 and receive a replacement free of charge. Those who already paid Microsoft out of pocket to have the E74 issue fixed will be automatically refunded the cost of the repair in the next 4 to 12 weeks.

896 Comments

  • toyungu

    Posted Sep 6, 2009 1:04 am PT

    I got a 360 on may 29th 2006. Got red ring in Dec of 2007. was moving states so didn't matter too much coz got it there. Today i go to play ufc and i get a error 74 which doesnt have a temporary fix. I have defended this system as much as i can. Im done. Time to try ps3. My zune and my WM based phone died this week. I AM DONE with microsoft!!!! MAC as soon as i can afford it. If you think im a troll please look at my previous posts on 360. I AM DONE!!!!!

  • NicAgent

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 1:52 pm PT

    I actually got a $100 reimbursement on my credit card from M$ some time this summer... I guess this is what it was (paid that money for E74 repair last April 16).

    Sadly my console's 3-year coverage expired August 23.

  • masshlx

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 6:20 am PT

    I got the E74 message just after the warranty expired. The toughest part was listening to my kids asking every day if it was coming back in the mail that day.

  • bazobot

    Posted Aug 27, 2009 1:01 am PT

    i got this... it sucked

  • xbox360555

    Posted Aug 20, 2009 3:39 pm PT

    never heard of the E74

  • Adam_the_Nerd

    Posted May 14, 2009 10:27 pm PT

    I think they should just extend this to cover ALL console failures. Seriously, I don't know of any other product that has this much of a failure streak.

  • Simfanatic16

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    Dc in theory you are right, but you are also very wrong. If you had paid attention they are doing various fixes to the console to HELP prevent failure. Not completely cure, help. If you have been paying attention you would know there have been changes such as a smaller, less power consuming processor which in turn produces less heat. Less heat, less warping of the motherboard. Less failure. Even with the release of the NXE in november they are helping keep failure at bay, do users use it? Not really no. But installing games to your hard drive helps immensely.

    Again back to my previous post they are doing things to help fix their mistakes. You don't need a brand new remodeled console to fix issues. Small changes to something can make a big difference. If that was the case we wouldn't have patches. We would have a new updated version of a game coming out every couple of months. Even Sony has done this with the ps3. Notice how newer gen consoles for a period of time didn't have backwards compatibility? That specific feature caused the 360 equivalent to the RROD. The YLOD, Yellow Light of Death was around. Admittedly not as prominent as the RROD, but it still existed. Their fix? Remove the components allowing BC and changing the hard drive size and other smaller features. Keeping outcry to a minimum or not there is an intention behind everything. They aren't doing it for giggles.

  • dcthug

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 1:23 pm PT

    .R4ptor_ Posted Apr 20, 2009 10:25 pm GMT @dcthug

    Your likening of fanboys to lemmings is brilliant. It's exactly the way it is and M$ knows their playing many boys like puppets. How on earth can anyone defend a piece of flawed hardware that was unfinished and defective at release, and the company knew it! They acted blatantly unethical and totally disregarded the good faith of their customers. ***************************************************************************************This is my point exactly. All the people who are thanking MS for extending the warranty need to realize that they only did it to keep the puplic outcry to a minimum. I mean they are not even trying to fix these problems with the release of the newer generation 360's. Its mindboggling that people don't see this. I guess I just thought the gaming public would be a little smarter consumer than this. Again I am on my launch Ps3 that I have played pretty much daily with no problems (except for the occasional monthly game freeze). The cheaper product isn't always the best product.

  • tiggerboy

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 10:05 am PT

    @acsam12304

    .....I can't even read your illiterate retort. You are 20?! You might want to go back to the third grade and learn sentence structure.

    To say that Sony's customer service is great is insane. Also, you keep bringing up the point that Xbox Live costs money. You are actually making your beloved George Foreman PS3 look worse. You sit there and complain that Live costs money, yet more people play on Xbox Live than all other consoles COMBINED. So next time you wanna be a spokesman for your PS3 paperweight, try to do so in a manner that actually makes the PS3 look GOOD. So go back to watching your console get dusty with its lack of use.......

  • Crazy_Duck19

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 3:51 am PT

    dis is pretty stupid bout all teh ps3 fanboys complianin bout havin 2 pay 4 live but prob more den half ov em say dat 360s r 4 ppl dat cant afford ps3s so wtf ..

  • Simfanatic16

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 11:57 pm PT

    acsam is the epitome of a fanboy. He will refuse to accept the fact that every console is good in their unique way and no one is superior to each other. 360 has hardware issues yes, but Microsoft is willing to accept their mistake and spent a ton of money to reverse the effects of their mistake. It is obvious that when it comes to the right idea Microsoft knows what they are doing. They know how to keep the customer happy, despite the fact their phone service is incredibly lackluster and leaves a lot to desired. They have the most exclusive titles and one of the most superb online services. Sony may have the more durable console with fewer errors, but in all reality until very recently developers have been using 360 dev kits for ps3 games. Until companies like ea learn how to make the swap and show a noticeable difference it will remain like that. Don't bother mentioning LBP or Killzone because they aren't on different consoles. They have a lacking list of exclusives that ultimately make the console worth buying for games alone. They have 3 top notch titles, that's it. The online service is mediocre, and having both Live is the better networking service. PSN leaves A LOT to be desired. The Wii was developed with one thing in mind, casual gamers. This is the most diverse set of gamers. You won't find many games like RE5 on there for that reason. It's a family console. That is Nintendo's aim, it is working for them. Look at the last 2 holiday seasons, limited quantities aside it was still the top seller.

    Fanboyism is a LOW form of support for a system. If you can't use proper english and grammar what is the point of trying to convey your point, when your post is illegible You make yourself look stupid when you do that.

  • MTMind2

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 10:40 pm PT

    @acsam12304 who says "again what service?"

    *yawn*

    if you dont know the difference between xbl and the online service of PS3 and PC after all the *years* they've been available, if you have to ask about it because you havent bothered to *read* what gamers, developers, websites and magazines says about what seperates xbl from other online services and have been saying for *years*, and if you cant accept that gamers are willing to pay for that difference, then i dont see why i need to waste time explaining it to you by repeating what has been discussed on forums and newsgroups by gamers, and in many articles and reports in magazines and websites for years already. go look up that information for yourself.

    its not for me to *prove* that xbl was worth paying for, anymore than it is for you (or me) to *prove* ps3 was worth the high price paid for it. if a service or product has value that customers are willing to pay for, then thats perfectly fine. it doesnt matter if that same service/product is available for cheaper elsewhere or even for free elsewhere, if customers are happy to pay for it and are happy with what they paid for, then thats all that counts.

    so by all means boast (again) about how you can play games online for free on the console i *also* own, but until you bother to read about the difference of xbl compared to others and especially own a 360 and experience the online service for yourself, then you will continue to remain uninformed.

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 8:10 pm PT

    @MTMind2
    again what service? PS3 and PC free to play 360 its pay to play what service you are talking about is the same freaking game same maps maps modes. funny thing is Games for Windows Live is for free and Live is not? go figure

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 8:07 pm PT

    @tiggerboy
    im a kid LMAO. im 20 no one wants to talk to me in my house hold.?? you dont have an come backs so you are going to my personal life that YOU are claming you know? sound like the person you are saying I am really sound like a cry for help on your end. go play with your lil Wii Wii. i have a PS3 i called Sony be4 with my PS2 and a few other times. they sure as hell answered my questions. and i got results.

  • MGS-Mercenary

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 5:50 pm PT

    heheheh....I knew it was coming. Yep the RRoD now has a competitor. Lets see who wins the fight to take the xbox off store shelves for "temporary maintenance." I was at GameStop and I saw they had a bunch of used 360's not for sale behind the counter. Held back for "Temporary Maintenance"...hmmm...makes me wonder if it was the work of our good friend the E74 error. Ah what will pop up next?

  • tiggerboy

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 3:42 pm PT

    @ascam12304

    Obviously you have not called Sony before, and just have to say something about your system. Yay, you were heard, and you fail. You just failed hard...... You might wanna do some research before you open that gap in your face. Sony's customer support sucks, as does MS. I do not know about Nintendo, since I have not called them before. You call me a Wii fanboy?! Why?! Cause I have Mario headbanging as an avatar? You are more ignorant than I could have imagined. I have all 3 systems, and play the 360 and PS3 WAY more than I play the Wii. I am the leader of an Xbox Live union. I do not see "Wii fanboy" anywhere in or around my profile.......

    You are just some kid that likes to stir up crap so that people will talk to you since no one cares to hear you at your house. Do us all a favor, take your P.C. and throw it out the window so you cannot polute the internets with your comments, and go cry in your closet, cause the only thing that wants to hear what you have to say is yourself.

  • _R4ptor_

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    @dcthug

    Your likening of fanboys to lemmings is brilliant. It's exactly the way it is and M$ knows their playing many boys like puppets. How on earth can anyone defend a piece of flawed hardware that was unfinished and defective at release, and the company knew it! They acted blatantly unethical and totally disregarded the good faith of their customers. And yet the 360 fanboys keep shouting that Sony doesn't care about their customers... Unbelievable.

  • DrAmir

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 2:08 pm PT

    Only PS3

  • MTMind2

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:57 pm PT

    @acsam12304

    im more than happy to make m$ richer by paying for the superb service that is xbl, just as i'm happy to make m$ richer by purchasing the 360 and 360 games, just as im happy to make sony richer by purchasing the ps3 and ps3 games. what you think is irrelevant to my enjoyment of both consoles and what they have to offer, and what happens on pc and ps3 for free is also irrelevant to my enjoyment of xbl. just because YOU are not prepared to pay for xbl doesnt mean its wrong or that gamers shouldnt pay for it.

    "well im going to go play GRAW2 on my PS3 online for FREE MTMind2. hope you have $50 to enjoy the online for GRAW2 too."

    lol, and? this is $50 we are taking about, not $5000. :-)

    so ive bought a 360, ive bought a ps3, ive bought many 360 and ps3 games, im paying for my broadband connection each month, but wait, can i afford $50 per year for xbl? ;-)

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:54 pm PT

    well im going to go play GRAW2 on my PS3 online for FREE MTMind2. hope you have $50 to enjoy the online for GRAW2 too.

    and for your information. im going to play on my PS3 that is 2 years old now and i never once had to send it in and it works just the same as when i got it out of the box in day 1

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:50 pm PT

    @MTMind2

    pay $50 on Live. for a game i can play MP online for free on PS3 or PC play the same MP maps game modes and get the same extras for free? while on Live you have to pay also you have to pay with points if you want somethings. yeah that sounds grate right making M$ richer right?

  • MTMind2

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    @acsam12304

    actually, he didnt.

    free online mp is not a given right. just like downloads, some services you have to pay for. yes it would be great if it was free, it would be great if everything was free, but you get what you paid for, and so although i luv my ps3 as much as my 360, its online service is still second to live.

    "and why will you want to pay to play if most of the game now are on PS3 and PC"

    well like myself, millions of gamers are more than happy to spend about the price of one game for a years worth of xbl, so your question is moot.

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:46 pm PT

    This is what happens when M$ trys to be big in teh gaming world and trys to beat Sony by one year. justt hink about how much money M$ is losing for every time someone that is getting there 360 repaired? at the end the 360 user is getting parts put in for free in the expense of M$. who knows this might be the end for M$ to be in the gaming console world for a while until they get there head straight and take there time when making a new console

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:42 pm PT

    @tiggerboy

    that my friend is what u call . one out of a million chance of getting. but your so dumb. when you call Sony up they do take care of the problem with our charge they send you a box and you ship it back to them. DOH! wow

    and look whos talking your just a Wii Wii little fanboy so SHUT UP!

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:39 pm PT

    @MTMind2 said
    @gypsygib who says "I bought my right to play MP when I bought the game"

    actually, you didnt."

    actually he did.

    and why will you want to pay to play if most of the game now are on PS3 and PC and the PC and PS3 are both free to play?? i mean wow

  • tiggerboy

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:34 pm PT

    Does Sony even have a warranty to cover their faulty video cards?


    ....the answer is No. My friend bought a PS3 and within a month he was having issues with the video card failing. He sent it to Sony, who were going to charge him to fix it. Instead they took over 6 months to tell him that they "lost" his console and sent him a refurbished (used) system, that was probably older than the one he sent them. Oh yeah, they STILL charged him for the repair, that they never did. So you fanbabys that wanna cry out how superior your system is, you might wanna pray that you never have to deal with Sony's customer service (unless you live in Japan) because its pure hell. So the next time you put in a game, and start to see blue lines and blotches on the screen, you're #&$^%#.......

  • dcthug

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:32 pm PT

    Wow days later and this thread is still going. As a PS3 user I didn't try and bash the 360'rs. I just was blown away at some of the comments like 3 returns for my broken xbox and 7 rrod's and so on. It just seemed to me that MS did not think about the consumer when the put the system out. I understand that with all the major companies (MS Sony Nin) its all about the bottom line, so I guess they felt a few repairs would justify beating Sony to the punch. I won't bash the gaming public for sticking with the console they chose, I only will say that if you allow the corporate giants to treat you like Lemmings (ie following a broken product off the cliff) then they won't think twice about doing it to you the next go round. Anytime your sending a system back 2/3/4 times and this is happening on such a large scale, then MS is not fixing the problem, they're just masking it with a new console that may a have a 30-40% chance in breaking in 2 yrs. The fact that they would choose this option shows that they did not put a quality product out for the consumer.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 12:22 pm PT

    xxpoo521xx Posted Apr 20, 2009 4:41 am GMT "Its halarious that all the xbox 360 owners are getting all defensive and are resorting to trast talking the ps3 when really their just jealous that they cant afford the better console........."

    LMAO, what is even more hilarious is that Sony 'so called' fanboys come to a 360 page to have a dig in order to make themselves feel better, because the 360 has encountered all these problems it's still selling like hot cakes, even though it was originally plagued with the RROD, it still didnt stop people buying it, whereas they could have simply saved more money to then purchase the 'mighty' PS3 and avoid the possibility of having any problems, now the E74 error and its STILL selling by the bucket load ultimately, people buy it not just because of price, but simply because they want a great gaming experience (online & off). Like i've said in previous posts, i got my 360 not because im a MS 'Drone' or 'Fanboy' but simply because it has everything i want & expect from a games console e.g. GAMES. I could easily afford a PS3, however i simply cant justify the purchase as ultimately, it simply doesnt have any games i either A: cant get on my 360 or B: actually want anyway (MGS4 not my cup of tea thanks). You mindless idiots can bring on the thumbs down if you like (no that i give a rats ***) and simply carry on bashing the 360, ultimately its a great console and your mind numbing, brainless comments wont make the world of difference, other than to demonstrate a great amount of ignorance and stupidity!

  • MTMind2

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 11:18 am PT

    @gypsygib who says "I bought my right to play MP when I bought the game"

    actually, you didnt.

  • gypsygib

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 11:12 am PT

    That's great, but make a 3 years all inclusive warranty. I've had more DVD drive failures than RROD, and never had e74. Needless to say next gen, I'm not buying a MS system I've had way too much frustration with 360 this gen...Not to mention, once my Live subscription ends this year I will never pay for online gaming again, I already feel like an idiot paying to pay for MP when everyone else get's it free. I bought my right to play MP when I bought the game, why should I pay MS for something that I already payed the developer for.

  • marco245

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 10:19 am PT

    Another error? I think it's time for Microsoft to look into a new console. They will lose more if they are repairing and refunding these faulty consoles.

    Also, I agree with espndave. The PS3 is more expensive, but it is far better value. While the Xbox has errors, so does the PS3. But, truth be told, my PS3 is still reliable after 2 years. No errors, the only problem was a freeze or two in the XMB, but a reboot and a few patches fixed it. If these Xbox errors are serious and have to be sent back to be repaired, there is a big problem with the console...

  • espndave

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 9:37 am PT

    Look peeps(DiscipleGD), stop with the "oh well xbox is cheaper, who would buy a ps3 for that money" crap. Lets see. You buy an xbox 360 pro for $299. Sweet. Then you realize you want to play online with other peeps but too far away to run a cable, so you buy a network adapter $99. Since you want to play online you decide to pay for a year since its cheaper in the long run so thats $50. Oh no your controller is dying, best be buying batteries or plug and play $10-$20. Total's about $470 with out tax. A PS3 may cost $399 but you get 20gb's more then the pro, rechargable controllers, wifi built in, free online gaming, blu ray, internet browser, and folding@home (which is something we should all look into) However, the PS3 does have stupid load times for updates for games, and for the system itself, and may not have the glory of Live even though its not that much different. Yes I have both systems, so I am not a fanboy of either although i love playing them both.Just bugs me how people don't add things up and how much microsoft charges people for the extra things for your xbox. I mean seriously 512mb's for $50, are you insane?!

  • jshaas

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 9:09 am PT

    About a year ago I was all set to buy a 360 Elite... I was really torn between it and a PS3. Articles like this is why I bought a PS3... I think being a Mac user helped too. I'm so glad I stuck with Sony. It's nice that MS is repairing them for up to 3 years, but is it worth the hassle... especially when you have to send it back more than once or twice.

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 8:58 am PT

    @DareLee81

    i LMAO at you what a bull face lie that is LMAO

    "he said this I don't own a PS3 so I have no reason to look at or comment on PS3 news. Probably because I'm too busy playing my XBOX."

  • GriddleCakes

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:58 am PT

    I hate E74 so damn much, happened to me right when I got my Xbox repaired from being red ringed.

  • DareLee81

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:02 am PT

    @acsam12304

    I don't own a PS3 so I have no reason to look at or comment on PS3 news. Probably because I'm too busy playing my XBOX.

  • DareLee81

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 6:53 am PT

    Ive read a lot of these comments and on this side of the line it all just sounds a little desperate.

  • DareLee81

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 6:48 am PT

    The funny thing about this article is that 95% of the comments in here are from PS3 owners not Xbox owners, you are all just B*tchin' to yourselves. And I wouldn't be surprised if some of the comments who claim to have had an Xbox die on them really never owned one, some of these comments just sound like really bad infomercials for Sony.

  • DiscipleGD

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 6:36 am PT

    Youguys need to stop defending the ps3.Sony has lost billions on the thing and counting. The hardware is better than xbox360 yea but the devs cant figure out how to make good games for it. Yea theres a few killzone and mgs4 but nothing eles really special. The games do not run or look better on ps3. Period.And about the errors on 360. Yea that would be sum bs if it happend to me but i still would have spent less buying it and fixing it then u ps3 fan boys did on your ps3 and one game. I think all of you ps3 fanboys are just mad cuz you feel dooped by sony for paying so much for hardware and getting nothing out of it. I will still have a blast with my boys online with my inferier xbox.

  • sampj

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 6:35 am PT

    "very small percentage"
    B******T!
    Out of my friends about 80-90% have Xboxes (including myself), and out of those 50+ people 46 (ish) of us have either had the RRoD or an E74! Microsoft are trying to save face and it just isn't working, they first have to admit the faults with the xbox then go about solving them.

  • commander_mp

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 5:55 am PT

    Wow, even when they make the computer they can't help but get error screens. Its BSOD version 2. And now it permanently kills your machine. PS3 FTW

  • Grandstream

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 5:43 am PT

    The PS3 isn't dead yet. It has considerable HD support for videos and if the general public doesn't see the fact that a PS3 console is slightly more expensive than your average Blu Ray player and it gets you both internet support AND next gen gaming, then the public needs a refresher. And the 360 was a shoddy system when it was first built. Three years later, they've had chances to make design changes to it so that the RROD and E74 would occur less frequently. Not saying it won't happen. But the PS3 is in the same boat. It puts out a ****ton of heat like the old 360s did, but thats because it's a powerful system. And speaking as one who owns both and considers them equal to one another...I think that the best thing a company can do is give extended warranties. Keeps them in business and keeps the public covered.

  • Rhen_Var

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 2:44 am PT

    Hope this error happens to my friend. He could use some outdoor activities. And with the new warranty, charges are covered!

  • aaronobst

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 2:11 am PT

    HitmanDante

    No one likes a PC snob

  • HitmanDante posted Apr 19, 2009 11:07 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    HitmanDante

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:07 pm PT (hide)

    This is why the PC will always reign supreme.

  • brennan7777

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:59 pm PT

    Ozzie234 says:

    "The REAL joke is on all you pos3 owners who paid 600$ for a dying console...."

    Ironic. Did he not read the article before posting?

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:52 pm PT

    Ozzie234 said

    "The REAL joke is on all you pos3 owners who paid 600$ for a dying console...."

    the heck is a pos3??? is that a rip off of the PS3 or something like the pollystation?

  • acsam12304

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:49 pm PT

    @DareLee81

    we are like leeches??? put your foot in your mouth. 360 fanboys does the same thing when bad new or something small about the ps3 comes out in gamespot. plus its about time PS3 gets it glory out of bs with M$

  • crazy-hiker-49

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 8:47 pm PT

    Paid the price for getting the console out a year early... no kidding

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