5 sourced reports, with what to check before you buy. Each one links to the page it was reported on.
Costly or dangerous
Combo j7+ charging contacts fail after about a year — robot won't dock-charge
An EU (Slovak) verified owner of the Combo j7+ (c7558) reports that after about a year the robot stopped returning to the dock and charging, and a technician diagnosed the charging contacts — yet it charges when manually placed on the dock. This is an EU-market, model-specific electrical failure.
What to check. The charging contacts are a known failure point on the Combo j7+ after roughly a year: the robot won't dock-charge even though it charges when placed manually. Check whether the contacts are the cause before assuming a battery fault, and note the owner's report that the warranty was not honored.
Combo j7+ stops charging within 15 days of purchase (Turkey)
A Turkish owner on Şikayetvar reports the Combo j7+ stopped charging and stopped working within 15 days of purchase, and the official service's steps did not fix it. This is the TR-market, model-specific charging failure the pack targets.
What to check. In the Turkish market there is a documented early-life failure where the Combo j7+ stops charging within two weeks of purchase and the authorized service cannot fix it. Buyers should verify warranty/service handling in Turkey before purchase, since the owner reports the unit was left unresolved.
A Portuguese consumer complaint to Deco Proteste states the j7+ repeatedly rammed furniture and skirting boards with force, damaging the home, despite the advertised obstacle-avoidance feature; the case ended with iRobot agreeing to a refund. EU-market, model-specific.
What to check. The headline obstacle-avoidance feature is a documented failure point: owners report the j7+ hitting furniture and skirting hard enough to damage the home. If you are buying mainly for avoidance, treat it as unreliable and check the return/refund path before purchase.
Combo j7+ cleaning-pad actuator stalls (error 1008) — robot will not mop
iRobot's own knowledge base documents error 1008 on the Combo j7+, where the cleaning-pad drive mechanism stalls and the robot pauses mid-job and waits for the user to move it. It is a documented, model-specific failure mode.
What to check. If you buy the Combo j7+ for mopping, know that the pad actuator can stall (error 1008) and the robot will stop and wait for manual help; the official fix is repositioning and a 20-second reboot. Not a repair part you can buy, so it lands on warranty/service.
Combo j7+ dust bin clogs with pet hair — self-empty doesn't clear it
An EU verified owner of the Combo j7+ (c7558) reports the collection container does not empty itself when full of pet hair, so it must be emptied by hand after every run — defeating the self-empty feature. EU-market, model-specific.
What to check. If you have pets, the j7+'s self-empty bin is a documented weak point: pet hair can fail to empty from the collection container, forcing manual emptying after every clean. Factor that into whether the self-empty base is worth the price.
These reports come from the pages linked under each item: owner forums, repair guides and workshops. They are not a diagnosis of any one unit, and a careful check of the one you are buying still applies.
Text from the Kriko Robot vacuums catalog, version 0.1.2, under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license.
