I recall a drive that got "sticky". It would appear dead, but if you shook it clockwise and counterclockwise around the rotational axis, it would get "unstuck"

I recall a drive that got "sticky". It would appear dead, but if you shook it clockwise and counterclockwise around the rotational axis, it would get "unstuck" and work again. I figured this out after the first time it happened, when I mailed it to be fixed and it was returned working but of course my data was wiped.