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Amazon.com has been hit with a $5 million class action suit over its popular Kindle 2 book reader.

Some Kindle owners who purchased the optional $30 protective cover are complaining it is causing cracks in the device, which eventually lead it to stop working. The cover fastens onto the body of the Kindle with a set of metal clips.

Matthew Geise who filed the suit against Amazon, said about three months after buying the Kindle 2 for his wife, it started cracking around the points where the cover attaches with metal clips. The cracks continued to get larger and eventually caused the Kindle to stop working.

A number of customers have posted negative reviews of the Kindle cover on Amazon. "I just had to return a brand new Kindle 2 because it cracked at the insert position of the top clip holding the Kindle 2 into the cover. I don't think I'll trust putting another Kindle into this cover," wrote one reviewer.

Another reviewer had the same problem. "The leather cover locks onto the Kindle with two metal posts. The cover is only intended to be opened from the front. If you inadvertently open the cover from the back, the metal post of the cover will crack the case of the Kindle. Very poor design when a protective device actually causes damage."

The class action suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday and said the value of the "matter in controversy" exceeds $5 million. The suit includes buyers of Kindle 2 and Kindle DX models "installed in a Kindle Cover designed by Amazon."

Geise's attorney, Beth Terrell said they believe there are hundreds of Kindle buyers who have had cracking problems.