Precision 5560 – Fan failure immediately after BIOS 1.44.1 update (Error 2000-0712)

Hello,

I am experiencing a serious issue with my Dell Precision 5560 that started immediately after a BIOS update to version 1.44.1.

The system was freshly reinstalled with Windows 11. After installation, I ran Windows Update and installed all available updates (drivers, firmware, etc.). One of the updates included a BIOS update to version 1.44.1.

After the BIOS update completed and the system rebooted, the following happened:
One fan stopped working completely
The other fan spins only very slowly and intermittently
The system gradually overheats and eventually shuts down due to thermal protection
Before this BIOS update, both fans were working normally and the system was stable.

Running Dell ePSA diagnostics (F12) consistently produces:

Error Code: 2000-0712
Message: “The fan failed to respond correctly (Previous Fan) – Fan malfunction” or “The Processor Fan failed to respond correctly”

Attempted BIOS downgrade via BIOS Recovery (Ctrl + Esc) → Recovery menu appears briefly, then exits and runs diagnostics again.

Downgrade via USB BIOS Flash → blocked (unsupported downgrade)
Reflashed BIOS 1.44.1 via F12 (USB and online) → no change
Loaded BIOS defaults → no change
Performed EC power drain (30 seconds without AC) → no change
Replaced both fans with known working fans from a Precision 5550 (identical parts) → same error persists
After replacing both fans, the system still reports error 2000-0712.

Could indicate some kind of motherboard fan controller issue triggered by the BIOS update rather than a physical fan defect.

The machine is currently unusable due to thermal shutdown.

Also tried dell support (warranty/Prosupport was ended sadly) it is not my first rodeo with them so low expectations already. So what I have explained here, I did also explain to support. Because of the error code and validation code, they could maybe send me some new fans free of charge, because that was the only thing they could see from that error code.

Has anyone else experienced similar behavior with BIOS 1.44.1 on the Precision 5560?