Framework acknowledges firmware update left some Framework Laptop 13 units non-bootable, sparking warranings and warranty disputes.
Framework Computer Inc. is responding to mounting complaints that a BIOS 3.20 firmware update for the Framework Laptop 13 with AMD Ryzen 7040 processors has left some machines completely non-bootable. The company confirmed to Ars Technica in a statement published August 19, 2026, that it has received reports of a small percentage of BIOS updates resulting in non-bootable boards and is investigating the root cause. Framework says it is replacing some affected mainboards, including certain units that are out of warranty, though community accounts suggest the response has not been uniform for all customers.
The issue traces back to July 6, 2026, when Framework posted BIOS 3.20 for the AMD Ryzen 7040 Series Framework Laptop 13 on its official downloads page. A day later, on July 7, Framework began emailing customers with notices encouraging them to install the update as routine maintenance. What followed was a wave of forum reports describing systems that locked up mid-update and never recovered.
Users Report Machines Locking Up Mid-Update
Community threads on Framework's own support forum document a pattern of failures that began almost immediately after the BIOS 3.20 release. In a thread titled 'Framework Laptop 13 Ryzen 7040 BIOS 3.20 Release STABLE,' one user reported successfully updating ten machines in an organizational setting, only to have an eleventh lock up during the flashing process and become bricked. As early as July 8, other users in the same thread reported that three to four additional people were experiencing identical crashes resulting in bricked machines.
Separate community support posts from that period described power buttons locking during the update process, which Framework representatives characterized as a normal safeguard against interruption during firmware flashing. However, for a subset of users, the process never completed, leaving laptops unable to boot to BIOS setup or to an operating system. Recovery in these cases has typically required hardware-level firmware reflashing, sometimes involving external programmer tools not accessible to typical consumers.
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Forum Warnings Escalate Into a Public PSA
By August 10, 2026, frustration had crystallized into a widely circulated forum post explicitly titled 'PSA: DO NOT upgrade to BIOS 3.20 on Ryzen 7040 series.' The post warned that the update could render machines inoperable and cautioned that Framework would not replace mainboards on out-of-warranty units, even when the company's own BIOS update caused the failure. A related thread, 'Upgrading to BIOS 3.20 on Ryzen 7040 series may brick your machine,' echoed similar experiences through mid-August, with one user noting on August 17 that they were still waiting on a Framework response more than a month after first reporting the issue.
That same thread included pointed criticism of the company, with one post accusing Framework of shipping an update that bricks machines, failing to pull the update after more than a month of reports, and telling some affected customers to discard their mainboards and buy new ones at full price. As of the most recent information available, BIOS 3.20 remained listed on Framework's official resources page, dated July 6, 2026, without a public takedown notice or explicit warning attached to the download.
Inconsistent Treatment of Out-of-Warranty Customers
The dispute over warranty coverage has become a central point of contention. An independent blog post published August 16, 2026, detailed one customer's experience after receiving Framework's July 7 update email. According to the post, Framework support eventually concluded that a mainboard replacement was necessary but declined to provide one because the customer's warranty had expired, on August 7, 2026. That user ultimately repaired the bricked laptop using inexpensive tools rather than pay for a new board.
This account stands in contrast to Ars Technica's reporting that Framework is replacing some out-of-warranty AMD mainboards affected by the issue. The discrepancy between these two accounts has not been resolved in available reporting, leaving unclear how Framework is deciding which out-of-warranty cases qualify for free replacement and which do not.
Company Investigation Continues as Scope Remains Unclear
Framework has not disclosed a specific number or percentage of laptops affected, describing it only as a 'small percentage' of BIOS 3.20 updates. Neither the company nor independent reporting has provided precise figures on how many Framework Laptop 13 units running Ryzen 7040 chips have been bricked since the update's release in early July.
Framework says its investigation into the root cause is ongoing, though no timeline for a fix or revised BIOS release has been publicly detailed in available sources. In the meantime, community members continue to document recovery techniques and share troubleshooting steps, including references to a separate, unrelated BIOS issue affecting the Framework Desktop that some users have successfully resolved. For Ryzen 7040 Laptop 13 owners, forum warnings advising against installing BIOS 3.20 remain active as of mid-August 2026, pending further guidance from the company.
