Inreach Mini not responding

My inReach is 2 years old and is not responding. I used it yesterday without issue. Plugged it in when i got home, battery was approx 40%. I had been tracking my ride and it updated to my account. Checked it a while later and the case was very warm. Now it will not power on. I've tried all the reset button combinations provided on the Garmin support site. I was using the same power block and cable I have always used for charging.

Has anyone encountered this? Is my device fried? I only use it May - October and 3 or 4 times a month so it has barely been used.

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0 twolpert over 3 years ago

Open a support ticket. “Very warm” is a bad sign.

0 lwhansen over 3 years ago

That also happen to me today. Was charging in car. Had gone from 0% to 15% in twenty minutes, which seemed reasonable. Then I sent a message and started tracking while still plugged in. Wad still OK. Then paired it with a new phone. Bam! Was suddenly dead. Left it charging while I rode my bike. When I came back to car after an hour and a half, the inReach mini was burning hot.

Definitely fried while charging. Bought it 3 years ago.

0 3146168 over 3 years ago in reply to lwhansen

Garmin support sent me a few reset options to try, mostly what's already posted online. Nothing worked and they offered a replacement unit (refurbished) for $130 (CAD).

0 twolpert over 3 years ago in reply to 3146168

I can't comment on the price. But a refurb unit (at some price) is the typical Garmin response to a hardware problem. I believe you will have to return the faulty unit in exchange. They will refurbish it and send it out to somebody else. This kind of cycle avoids having to wait while they diagnose and repair your own unit.

0 lwhansen over 3 years ago in reply to twolpert

How do I open a support ticket?

0 twolpert over 3 years ago in reply to lwhansen

For the Mini, use the buttons at the bottom of this page. Chat/call are only available during regular business hours. Sometimes there is an email link as well. If at all possible, use chat or phone. Based on what I see on the forums, email is something of a black hole.

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?contactOverride=true&productID=592606&tab=topics

For some reason, the support links depend on the product. Finding the right page is something of a challenge.

0 3146168 over 3 years ago in reply to lwhansen

I used the Chat function on https://support.garmin.com/

0 twolpert over 3 years ago in reply to 3146168

There is presently no direct link from that page to chat (or anything else). In my experience, you have to go through the handsprings of specifying the device for which you want support.

TIP: Once you have the phone number, use it for all "outdoor" devices. I don't know of any similar generalization for chat.