little malfunction

"What happens, Sir, is when you swap boxes, the way you have to, you're liable to turn in a radio with a little malfunction, like a diode blown or something.

In the end, on the bomb run, all those little malfunctions had turned out to be a staggering huge malfunction, one that threatened to scrub the mission or even force the crew to eject.

I've had it at the repair shop six times, mostly little malfunctions, but if anyone saw them - for instance one time the voice tape broke or anyhow got fouled and it wouldn't stop baaing - they'd recognize it as a mechanical breakdown."