malfunction

Shake Shack denied charging “no tip” fees after a viral TikTok appeared to show menu prices jumping when a customer declined a gratuity, blaming the error on a kiosk malfunction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Those and other personal devices have lithium-ion batteries, which are prone to bursting into flames when they malfunction or overheat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

“A fireworks malfunction did occur during last night’s post-match celebration at Angel City FC’s game vs. Orlando at BMO Stadium,” the team said in a statement to The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

A safety system detected dangerous levels of engine thrust, assumed a malfunction, and ordered the fuel supply to be cut off, the theory goes.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Not as good as yesterday, but I lost some time to the drill malfunction.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Its report said Nintendo had "commented only in 2020, and not as soon as it was aware of the malfunctions", the Commerce Ministry and the court in Nanterre, outside Paris, said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Tech companies are making progress in fixing humanoid runners’ malfunctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

In a tongue-in-cheek post to Instagram, Glass Animals - best known for their 2020 sleeper-hit Heat Waves - claimed culpability for the lunar lavatory malfunctions.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Satellites passing through this region are exposed to elevated levels of radiation, increasing the risk of technical malfunctions, hardware damage, and even temporary outages.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026

Unlike early Soviet space capsules, which were automated, American spacecraft required experienced pilots at the controls in case of malfunctions.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

The vehicle had coasted through space but was not in exactly the correct orbit after one of its engines malfunctioned during an initial burn.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

The Russian pilot fired two missiles, the first of which missed rather than malfunctioned as claimed at the time.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

According to the MMWR, investigators said the cooling tower had malfunctioned, leading to either very little or no injection of chemicals that would prevent bacterial growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

He later posted a video on TikTok, showing how his earpiece had malfunctioned, playing all of the music twice, like he was singing in the middle of the Grand Canyon.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

Our server reports it will not just be for a fuel stop—some part has malfunctioned and must be replaced.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

The director, recently freed from a malfunctioning elevator in a pithily Andersonian incident, made a brief appearance onstage with Murray in his regal white suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

In Italy, courts in Palermo, Sicily, said they were suspending all non-urgent hearings until June 29 due to "malfunctioning air conditioning" while teaching unions in France called for strike action over "unacceptable working conditions".

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

An experimental treatment that resets a malfunctioning immune system has put the disease lupus into remission in early UK trials.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

I have a similar complaint, but this relates to a toilet that is malfunctioning.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

The malfunctioning braid-hands spun in a circle, its dark brown fingers balling and un-balling.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton