Sony cybershot dsc t3

There was a recall on the following models on the 24th November 2006: DSC - T1,T11,T3,T33,U40,U50,M1,F88.

if it is a DSC T33 there is a recall
SONY RECALL

I have a similar problem on a different model. Sony is sending me a UPS label and will pay for ALL repairs...I originally called their tech support and they did not tell me about the recall..my local camera shop told me there was a huge recall...so I called sony again and suddenly they are fixing it for free. Just call them and say " I am calling about the recall" SONY 1-800-222-7669

Have a look at http://www.sony-asia.com/support/announcement/58200/product/dsc-t3 for details of Sony's announcement about this problem. They are offering a free repair of the image sensor device.

Hi,
   For all of you who have commen problem in your cameras, That this problem is caused malfunctioning of CCD IMAGER and SONY repair it free of coast. For free of cost replacement of CCD IMAGER please visit your nearest SONY SERVICE CENTERS.
Thanks for using FIXYA!
Take care.

I had my T3 repaired in March of 2009 but had to pay for it. It had the distorted image symptom per DR Lamb's link above.
This week (12/09) the T3 had a "relapse" of a similar sort: The stick can be accessed, but neither still nor movie record mode work. I have a blank screen with the message "Turn the power off and on again." I do and the message appears again.
I've tried removing the battery, fully charging same, and removing the memory stick. I still get the message. I can access already taken images via my Mac, and view them on the T3 screen.
I sent an email to the Sony repair center earlier about degraded focus. They said the 30 day warranty on my previous repair had run out, so I'd have to pay $128 to fix it. That was before the black screen w/message described above.
Last week, I emailed the same repair station (Texas) about the new problem and have gotten no answer.
I agree with someone above who said he's despairing of Sony. Nikon now makes a similar shirt-pocket camera to the T3, so I may just dump the T3 and get the Nikon.
Dan