It’s not often that a CI will fail, however, they are electronic devices and all the companies have run into trouble from time to time.   The failure statistics are supposed to be updated on a regular basis by the CI companies.   Thankfully they are all highly reliable and, for the most part, have close to 100% reliability statistics.

Replacing a failed CI requires a second surgery.  It’s usually much faster (no drilling needed if the exact implant is used) and the recovery time is faster.   Activation is also usually faster.    It’s really not something a person getting a CI needs to worry about.  It can happen, but the chances are high your CI will last for a very long time.   If you have a replacement device, you might have to do some rehabilitation again, but it’s usually a much faster turnaround for things to get back to where they were, or better.