My MIL sent me her old Kindle (which had a 5 way controller) and I used it for 5 days before it broke
I was very distraught. So on a whim I called Amazon and told them that I know the 5 way controller issue is a well known problem, since a lot of blog/forums I read talk about those things breaking pretty easily. The guy was really nice and helpful, and basically offered me up a replacement kindle provided I sent the broken kindle back within 30 days.
Voila new kindle arrived and broken one was sent in. LOVE amazon. Of course this scenario is not guaranteed but I think perhaps giving them a call and talking to them about it might be worth a try.
Keep in mind, my hand me down kindle was over 4 years old.