DJI Air 3S gimbal motor overloaded or stuck: how to fix it

"Gimbal motor overloaded" on the DJI Air 3S means a gimbal motor met more resistance than it can handle and switched into protection mode. The usual causes are the gimbal protector left on, powering up on grass or uneven ground, or a knock while the drone is on. Place the drone flat, wait or restart, and the gimbal normally recovers.

Air 3S gimbal overload — The Air 3S gimbal goes into protection mode when it's blocked or forced. When the warning appears tells you which fix to try first.

What DJI says causes it

DJI's Air 3S manual lists the situations that put a gimbal motor into protection mode:

The gimbal is blocked by something when the drone sits on uneven ground or grass
The gimbal takes an excessive external force, such as in a collision
After power-on, the drone is left tilted for a long time or shaken hard

The fix DJI gives for all three: place the aircraft flat and wait for the gimbal to return to normal, or restart it.

Fixes to try, in order

Power off and check the gimbal protector. It must come off before power-on. Also check for loose ND filters, stickers or grass touching the camera.
Restart on a flat, hard surface. Use a table, landing pad or pavement and keep your hands off while the gimbal moves through its startup check.
Wait if it was bumped. If the warning appeared after you moved or tilted the drone, set it flat and give it a moment before restarting.
Check for grit. With the drone off, move the camera gently by hand. Scratchy or rough movement points to sand in a motor. Use a hand blower, never force it.
Update firmware. Install any aircraft and controller updates in DJI Fly.
Calibrate. In DJI Fly, open settings, go to Control, and run Gimbal Calibration with the drone level and still. If the horizon only drifts in flight, DJI's own fix is to calibrate the IMU and compass in DJI Fly's Safety settings.

When the gimbal is damaged

Contact DJI or start a repair if:

The warning returns on flat ground with nothing touching the camera
The camera hangs limp, shakes or buzzes
The image is tilted and calibration can't level it
Either camera (the 1-inch wide or the 70 mm tele) shows a gimbal fault after a crash

DJI also notes that flying in heavy fog or cloud can wet the gimbal and cause a temporary failure that clears once it dries. If that is the only cause, let it dry fully before powering on again.

Crash damage is what DJI Care Refresh covers. Without it, warranty or paid repair applies; see DJI warranty in the USA.

Prevent it

Keep the gimbal protector on whenever the Air 3S is packed, and take it off before every power-on. Start up on a landing pad rather than grass. For more on the error across models, read gimbal motor overloaded, and for everything else about the drone see the Air 3S guide.