Janome acknowledged several months ago that there was a problem with the needle plate. Anyone that had registered their machine received a new needle plate automatically directly from Janome. If yours is giving you problems and you have registered your machine, you need to contact your dealer or Janome so you can get your replacement. I had registered my machine and it was one of the first ones that came out and was sent one automatically although I have never had a problem with the original one. Hope this information helps you.