Here's my concern about some methods proposed: if all you're doing is bracing the usb connector against the housing with adhesive, that may not be effective. Adhering it to the board would be much better.

The problem stems from force applied to the PCB mounting pads. Placing some sort of restraint at the housing can actually exacerbate that-- the force has to go SOMEwhere, and the pads are the last weak link (and most critical). As we've seen, the pads are actually being ripped off the PCB. Side-to-side motion involved with connector insertion/removal can place a lot of stress on those pads.

The ultimate solution as I see it:

- switch to through-hole mount rather than surface mount (CRITICAL)
- switch to connector with flange
- apply adhesive underneath connector prior to soldering

I really believe all of those need to be implemented.

I may do a follow-up to my blog article once more data is in.