that was my problem with my old bernina 830. my mom ended showing me how to do it, the needle was the wrong way and it wasn't pushed in enough. If you keep sewing with it as it is, the needle will break. trust me!

I would take the plate off and then put it back in place. Like GabbyAbby said, maybe the plate itself isn't positioned correctly. Good luck.

Is the thread hanging up somewhere and bending the needle slightly? It doesnt take much for the needle to hit the plate and break.

I just had my Viking Quilt Designer serviced because I broke the part the needle is held in. Completely destroyed it, heard the crunch/thunk, and the needle could not be held in the mechanism. No matter how hard I tried the needle just could not be tightened in. I never did this before, and for $185.00 repair fee, I hope to never do it again.

I think my Husqvarna Viking gets cranky real easy. The least bit of fuzz messes up everything. Possibly the needle position was moved slightly left or right as noted before.

I think GabbyAbby has the best answer, but my guess is, much like GabbyAbby. Ive seen the presser foot get loose or out of line, and I think that is more likely the problem, Ive had customers tell me it was hitting the needle plate, and when I looked at it it was actually hitting the foot. Other then that...its probably expensive.....

When was the last time you had your machine serviced? (Timing might be the problem because this sounds like a problem I had, and it was the timing.)

Queen Bee;;;
If your Viking machine won't reset when shut off/on, it needs professional help. Those machines are too precise to mess with if you don't know the right "codes". I would rather spend $3.00 on gas to take my Designer 1 in for service to find out it is something simple off kilter, rather than mess something up really bad and have to buy a new part from Sweden.

Try a thicker stiffer needle that won't bend as easily.
The weight or pull of the fabric, can bend a springy needle out of the correct position.

With all this good tips, you're sure to fix the problem. Good luck and let us know how it went.