A proposed class action lawsuit claims Roku and TCL “bricked” thousands of smart TVs through defective software updates that allegedly left sets frozen, black-screened or completely unusable.
Plaintiff Terri Else filed the complaint in federal court in California against Roku and TCL North America, accusing the companies of rolling out faulty Roku operating system updates that “materially impair” televisions instead of improving them.
The suit targets Roku Select Series, Roku Plus Series and TCL 3, 4, 5 and 6-Series Roku TVs.
Else alleges her TCL Roku TV began malfunctioning just a few years after she bought it in 2018, flashing a white light before the screen went black permanently. According to the complaint, a replacement TV later suffered similar issues.
“At the early stage, the question isn’t whether every television failed — it’s whether the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged a common defect tied to these software updates,” Tarlika Nunez Navarro, a former judge and current dean of St. Thomas University College of Law, told The Post.
“If they can connect the updates to a consistent loss of functionality across devices, the case has a path forward past a motion to dismiss.”
The lawsuit claims Roku and TCL continued pushing software updates despite widespread customer complaints on Roku’s community forums, Reddit and social media.
The filing alleges updates caused televisions to freeze on startup logos, enter boot loops, lose picture while audio continued playing, or fail to turn on altogether.
The suit also points to Roku’s own marketing, which touted automatic software updates as a way for TVs to “get better over time.”
Instead, the complaint alleges the updates rendered many devices inoperable while customers were denied warranty coverage or meaningful fixes.
The proposed nationwide class would cover consumers who purchased affected Roku or TCL Roku TVs after Dec. 16, 2024.
Roku denied wrongdoing.
“We believe the claims are meritless,” a Roku spokesperson told The Post.
TCL did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit comes as tech companies face increasing scrutiny over claims that software updates degrade older hardware and push consumers toward buying replacements.
A separate proposed class action filed earlier this year accused Amazon of intentionally slowing and “bricking” older Fire TV streaming devices through software updates.
The Roku complaint argues the companies were aware of recurring software-related display failures, citing support pages and troubleshooting guides posted online by both Roku and TCL.
