Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention pertain to handling synchronization errors potentially experienced by a storage device. According to one embodiment, a system for handling synchronization errors potentially experienced by a storage device includes a joint detector and a decoder. The joint detector detects transmitted data. The joint detector also detects timing errors that potentially result from the transmission of the data. The joint detector communicates information about the transmitted data and the timing errors with the decoder iteratively in a loop to reduce the amount of the transmitted data that is lost.