The Yellow Light of Death, or YLOD, is a problem that occurred with the first generation of PS3s, as well as some models of the PS3 Slim, where the power LED would flash a yellow color. This signified a hardware problem with the system, usually from overheating or the Blu-ray drive, the hard drive or the power supply malfunctioning.
In 2009, a study was conducted by SquareTrade, one of the warranty providers, who found that the PS3 had a two-year failure rate of 10%. Approximately half a percent of all consoles experienced the YLOD problem. One of the biggest known problems causing this malfunction was the use of subpar cooling paste on the system's chips connected to the heatsink.
The YLOD problem rose with more reports at the end of 2009 and in 2010. Known solutions for the problem included sending the system to Sony, paying a fee to have it repaired or receive a refurbished replacement, or users could repair it themselves.
