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To be experiencing a technical failure or malfunction.
电梯有故障，暂停使用。
The elevator has a malfunction and is temporarily out of service.
我的手机突然有故障，屏幕黑屏了。
My phone suddenly has a malfunction and the screen went black.
Commonly used in technical or repair contexts to indicate that a device or system is not functioning properly.
有故障 is specific to mechanical or electronic devices. For human errors or abstract failures, use phrases like 出问题 (chū wèntí, 'something went wrong') or 失败 (shībài, 'failure').
Always pair 有故障 with the subject it describes (e.g., 电脑有故障, 'the computer has a malfunction'). Omitting the subject makes the phrase grammatically incorrect.
The phrase combines 有 (yǒu, 'to have') and 故障 (gùzhàng, 'malfunction/failure'). 故障 itself is composed of 故 (gù, 'old/former') and 障 (zhàng, 'obstacle/barrier'), originally referring to an obstacle that hinders normal function. The modern usage in technical contexts emerged in the mid-20th century with industrialization.
有故障 is a neutral, formal phrase used in technical writing, repair manuals, or customer service contexts. It is more specific than 环 (huài, 'broken') and implies a temporary or repairable issue rather than permanent damage. Avoid using it for non-technical contexts (e.g., not for emotional or abstract failures).