MacBook Pro battery bulge: time for a recall?

By Jeremy Roche on 23 June 2006

While Apple hasn't yet aknowledged the issue, there seems to be cause for concern as early MacBook Pro adopters notice the battery in the laptop swelling up and causing random shutdowns.

We unpacked our 15-inch MacBook Pro in late-February, which meant it was one of the first shipments to arrive in Australia -- serial number starting with W8607. Four months later, we noticed the battery had bulged out of the base of the notebook.

See more photos below

Additional reading:
Slashdot
Discussion thread on Apple's Web site
MacFixIt (mirror)
O'Grady's PowerPage
The Mac Observer
Ars Technica
The Apple Core, ZDNet
MacInTouch
MacMedics
Tabblo photos
Another blog
Dang Development Blog

Topics: apple, battery, fault, macbook, macbook pro, bulge, shutdown, recall, zdnet, blog

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Comments (23)

  • Droow commented on 25/10/2009 07:23 Report abuse

    Same here, bulged overnight. Called apple, they told me to take the battery out IMMEDIATELY! gave them the serial number of the machine and replacement is being sent out no q's asked.

    The weird thing is, I've not used this machine for about a year since i dropped it and cracked the screen. I fixed it last week and that's the first it's been used in ages!?!?

  • Guy_in_Belgium commented on 04/09/2008 20:48 Report abuse

    The problem seems to persist. Identical symptoms here with a 17” MB Pro bought late June 2007. Random shutdowns, and then suddenly the battery starts to swell. It does not stand flat on the table anymore, and the trackpad and its button become useless. Several e-mails (with scary pictures) to Apple Belgium (because that’s where I live), but no reply so far. Are they still in the phase of denial?

  • Peter commented on 09/07/2008 14:33 Report abuse

    same problem here...2 mac laptops in the family and within a month of each other BOTH laptop batteries swelled...but since Apple 'isn't even aware there is a problem' we decided never to buy these pieces of SH?T ever again...we are going pc from now on...

  • sgurl commented on 03/07/2008 02:04 Report abuse

    I am having the same issues with my 17" macbook pro as well... bulging battery, random shut offs with no notice, trackpad problems and it wont click anymore, this all happened within the course of about a week. It went downhill fast. When i called to set up an appointment the lady at the apple store was very rude and asked me, "Are you sure it's a battery problem?" and considering my battery is bulging so bad right now that it wont even sit flat...i said "uh... have you been listening to me at all?!" I have an appointment today to get it fixed, although it says online that I dont have apple care protection, which I do. I have a feeling that's going to be another issue to deal with, considering I accidentially threw out the box, and just kept the apple care cd, and the box had the serial number in it.... but I still have my receipt, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed.....

  • aznttboy commented on 17/05/2008 21:33 Report abuse

    After the disappointing support call to Apple's SOS Hotline, I made a reservation to see a Genius Bar specialist at a local Apple retail store. After explaining my reason for the visit and showing him the defecting battery, which has now swelled to more than 2x the normal thickness of a brand new battery, he immediately said that they will give me a replacement for free after doing the required paperwork.

    I asked him if Apple has had a lot of this kind of battery issues and what the cause may be. He said that he has dealt with a few similar cases before, but had no explanation as to the cause of the problem.

    Anyway, Apple's SOS Hotline staff can probably benefit from more training (know when to stick to company policies and when they should reasonably make an exception and feel empowered to do so), while the Genius Bar staff was extremely professional and handled my hardware issue effectively.

    If this had been an issue with a Dell purchase, and there is a Dell retail outlet that I can visit to speak to one of the Dell Reps, I doubt the situation will be resolved to my satisfaction (especially within 30 minutes)

  • aznttboy commented on 16/05/2008 14:31 Report abuse

    Same thing happened to my 17" MacBook Pro. Called the Apple SOS number and after checking their records and documentation, I was told that since it is over the warranty period that they will not replace my battery.

    I am really pissed off (which is a big thing considering I am a huge Apple fan and owns $150K in AAPL stocks). I would agree that I am just out of luck if the battery is having issues charging or holding a charge. However, the issue is the battery bulging out of its casing, which I consider a manufacturing defect. Will see if the actual Genius Bar person will see things my way or stick to the company line.

  • screed commented on 05/05/2008 21:34 Report abuse

    Just happened to me last night - shut downs - then no use of track pad - when I flipped my computer over...bulging battery - I have had my computer in the Apple store several times for how hot my MacBook Pro gets and they continue to tell me it is normal - I got an Email back from Apple asking how my service was at the store and if they could contact me about the service - I stated the people were nice but my issue was never resolved and I would appreciate it very much is someone actually did contact me! - never happened - there is no extended care on my Mac - will they still replace the battery?

  • nyenyec commented on 29/04/2008 23:40 Report abuse

    Same thing happened in the last couple of days to my 17'' Mac Book Pro I purchased in Dec, 2006.

    Random mouseclicks, shutdowns with 10%, 25%, 30% charges, bulging battery.

  • Superhands commented on 06/04/2008 02:44 Report abuse

    Same problem again with 17 inch macbook pro. Bulging battery, trackpad doesn't function properly with battery inserted so currently have to plug in to use it. (which is incredibly annoying when someone does actually trip over the magsafe power lead and my laptop cuts out.
    Foolishly bought mine 2nd hand due to finance issues so i have no original purchase information and no sign of any warranty. Have apple provided a solution yet or am i gonna have to empty my already empty pockets for a new one?

  • Tahir72 commented on 13/03/2008 14:50 Report abuse

    Today I had to remove the battery of my 17" MacBook Pro. I had'nt heard that there is a problem with the MacBook, as I had'nt came across such comments from other Mac users. It seems that it is a common problem. the same thing happened to me an the mouse click did not work at all because of the swelling in the battery.

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