Jan 26, 2011 15:51 GMT  ·  By

Dell may be well known among the world for its Alienware laptops, but a certain model gave it some less than favorable reputation by being plagued by a design flaw that still hasn't been resolved.

The thing about Dell's Alienware laptops is that they are both stylish and highly capable in terms of gaming performance.

In fact, there is an entire line of such machines that get refreshed each time a new set of laptop hardware gets launched.

Even at this year's very CES (Consumer Electronics Show) there was a new such machine on show.

This once, however, Dell has not made the headlines because of its Alienwares' prowess and aesthetic value, but because of a certain problem.

Some consumers may remember the Alienware M11x, which was launched quite some time ago and updated last year.

Apparently, some of the more recent models have been plagued by cracking or creaking hinges, which, of course, is quite an issue for any notebook, especially one for the high-end market.

This issue has existed for a while, but it seems Dell is finally getting around to fixing the shortcoming although it is unclear how long it will take.

According to the Dell Community Forums Liaison Chris Mixon, the company is putting together a hinge replacement program.

Depending on third party vendors, the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is March, 2011.

That said, delays may or may not last until April or May, but at least the replacements will be done for any affected model, regardless of whether or not the warranty has already expired.

“We have an ETA around March for when the M11x-R1/R2 Hinge fix program will be started. The start date range hinges is dependent on a 3rd party vendor and other details so it is not concrete. When it does begin, all who have the hinge defect will get it repaired regardless of the warranty end date,” Mixon said.