Garmin 7×5 Devices Spontaneously Bricking

Overnight we started receiving numerous reports from Garmin 7×5 users that their devices suddenly showed a firmware update on screen. Often this was in the middle of a drive and not while the device was connected to their computer. Users who allowed the update to happen have been greeted by a host of unpleasantries– from their devices completely dropping satellite connections to the unit becoming bricked.

Update

Garmin has acknowledged this issue by way of this FAQ which says:

Question: Why does my nüvi 7×5 series unit not power on?

Answer: It has come to our attention that the Garmin nüvi 7×5 series has a firmware error that is causing some devices to perform an unprompted GPS software update and in some cases shut down. Garmin is aware of this issue and we are working diligently on a solution. We know our customers rely upon their GPS device and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Developing quality products always has been and continues to be a priority at Garmin.

They also imply that this impacts the 785T, 775T, and 765T.

We can’t help but notice the similarity between this issue and the recent failure of Omnitech GPS devices although it is very possible the two issues are unrelated. In that case the chipset firmware failed to take into account a pre-announced change in time formats from the satellites. Again, this could be completely different, but it does appear to be chipset related. Garmin Support folks currently don’t know what is up and are issuing RMA numbers to have customers return their devices. Our advice is to hold off before going through with that as a software fix seems plausible. However please do still call Garmin Support to report your error.

There is a long thread about this issue in our discussion forums. If this has happened to you, please go there and report your issue.

Located in GPS, Garmin on Jun 23, 2009