
Apple recalls older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro over fire risk - ohjeez
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-recalls-older-generation-15-inch-macbook-pro-over-battery-concerns/#ftag=CAD590a51e
======
sctb
Previously:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20235259](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20235259).

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Timucin
I recently had my spare macbook’s battery replaced by paying quite a lot. I
even had to do a second trip to the store because the returned item was also
faulty. They did something to the motherboard while changing the battery I
guess because they also replaced that for free, but not before I diagnosed the
problem for them...

Then today I learned that the battery I got replaced was included to this
program butit seems Apple doesn’t want to refund the money I paid for the
battery and they can’t guarantee if the replaced battery is healthy, so I have
to do a 4th trip to the Apple Store make sure it won’t explode to my face...

I don’t understand why Apple can’t track what it put to my laptop and tell me
if it dangerous or not.

It’s just annoying and painful. I’d expect better -which was the case for the
past 6 years.

~~~
fluffything
I have had a MacBook Air Mid-2012 since... 2012. Last year I bought new
batteries online myself for like 80-90$. Replacing them took like 15 minutes
by following a webpage linked in the battery package; it was idiot proof.

The new batteries have like at least 20% more capacity than the old ones ever
had, and almost a year later are still going strong.

Couldn't been happier.

This Macbook Air mid-2012 is the best laptop I've ever had. I've been wanting
to upgrade to a new laptop but I haven't been able to find one that makes the
upgrade worth it. Paying 2000$ for 30% better performance isn't really worth
it for me.

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nsx147
What it looks like when it happens:

[https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/bulbhv/my_macbook_pr...](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/bulbhv/my_macbook_pro_exploded_and_burst_into_flames/)

Relevant HN thread:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20240359](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20240359)

~~~
ianhowson
Most Macbooks are going to show symptoms before catching fire -- which is
thankfully a very rare event. For most people, it's going to manifest as a
swollen bottom case. Here's what I look for:

\- If you put your Macbook on a flat desk, does the aluminum on the bottom
touch the desk? (The rubber feet should touch the desk; aluminum should not.)

\- If you close the lid, does it seal all the way around? (You shouldn't need
to apply pressure to make the lid seal. Closing the lid should not bend it. It
should not pop open on its own.)

\- Cracked trackpad is a bad sign

\- Look along the edges; any warping is a bad sign too

~~~
weaksauce
I had a swollen battery that manifested with a trackpad that couldn’t click
but I thought it was maybe damaged from accidentally dropping something on it
that I couldn’t remember. Had it like that for many months until I googled it.
Replacing the battery fixed it straight away.

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sqldba
My serial doesn’t come up as affected. I mean that’s great and all but now
I’ll be staring at it in suspicion for a good while.

~~~
throwaway2019Z
For their battery replacement program, my serial # did not come up as affected
and they refused to service it over the phone. They quickly changed their
minds when I showed up at the Apple store with a battery so swollen it was
pushing through the trackpad.

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dbg31415
"[Ineligible because our] records show that your device has already been
serviced ..."

Cool, thanks Apple. Glad I got to pay like $700 for this when my 2015 MBP was
overheating so much last year that the battery swelled and broke the
motherboard. I just did a quick live-chat with one of the tech support
people... no chance for a refund on the work I had done 8 months ago to
replace the battery and repair damage it caused. It really sucks that people
who proactively dealt with this can't get compensated for what is now
acknowledged as a manufacturing flaw.

Originally posted here
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20240359](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20240359)

~~~
lukeholder
You can contact Apple and they will refund your repairs. The official Apple
page on the recall mentions this.

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tomxor
I didn't repost this but please don't flag! it's a serious safety issue that
users need to be made aware of.

I think this keeps getting reposted because it falls of the front page very
quickly for whatever reason.

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leetbulb
Do service centers for these devices have special storage / handling
requirements (especially when mass recalls are announced)? I can't imagine
having a large amount of these ticking time-bombs, pending repair, all stacked
together on a shelf is that great of an idea.

~~~
Operyl
I know Apple Stores have fire-proof safes, I would assume it's also a
requirement for the authorized service centers.

~~~
leetbulb
Yeah I read that in the article, but that was after the laptop already burst
in to flames. I wonder if they place 20-30 of them in there at once? Surely
they would all just slag if one decided it was time.

~~~
Operyl
They know the affected component is the battery, they could be trained to
remove the battery itself if it does not look to be bulging.

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rooam-dev
Sorry, but why did it take 4.5 years to do this? Is it because new models are
not selling well?

~~~
dymk
A less immediately malicious (and simpler) interpretation of what's happened,
is that it's taken this long for battery problems to start widely manifesting.

~~~
rooam-dev
Of course, but normally it takes a lot of noise to make so that Apple does
something like this. I personally have not heard any "multiple reports" news.

~~~
mtran381
The only one I have seen is this one:
[https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/30/smoking-macbook-pro-
whi...](https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/30/smoking-macbook-pro-white-panda-
video/)

------
x0x0
Wow, this is a giant FU to their customers

> _Replacing the battery, however, "may take 1 to 2 weeks" with the company
> advising users to make sure to back up their data first._

Peacing out with a laptop that someone uses for 7-14 days is unbelievable.

~~~
sqldba
Ummm. Before iPhone it was common for phones and laptops and PCs to disappear
off in repair through third party warranty vendors for weeks and months.

You don’t know how good you have it.

~~~
x0x0
I'm old enough to remember when $2.5k laptops came with same day warranty
work.

~~~
dymk
Oh yeah? Who did same day, fedex-overnight-to-and-from warranty work, and on
what laptops?

~~~
OxO4
They don't ship the laptop, they send a technician and do the repair on-site.
I have personal experience with a Lenovo ThinkPad. Dispatching the technician
may have taken one or two business days (I don't remember exactly).

~~~
ianhowson
Dell used to do next business day on-site tech visit as standard, and 4-hour
for a relatively low surcharge on the purchase price.

That was a long time ago though.

------
CodeTheInternet
Link to apple.com information [https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-
battery-recall](https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall)

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welder
check your serial number: [https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-
battery-recall](https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall)

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segmondy
That's terrifying, I have one at home right now on the dining table with some
paper around it. If this happened, the entire house will burn up.

~~~
cameronbrown
I would hope Apple would be liable for burning your house down, but in reality
they'd blame you for having 'water damage'.

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drivingmenuts
I already had the battery replaced due to the fat battery issue. Hopefully,
they don’t need to re-replace it.

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waynecochran
There is a mail in option for something that may catch fire?

~~~
thomasedwards
All mail can catch fire ;) (Presumably you would turn it off before you send
it?)

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ars
Turning it off isn't enough. Instead leave it on until the battery is
completely drained, then mail it once it shuts down.

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wool_gather
This is not really a "recall": you keep the machine (turnaround time
notwithstanding), they're just replacing an old battery.

~~~
adambyrtek
Recall is not always a replacement, for example recalled cars are often
returned to the owner after a fix.

~~~
wool_gather
I think that's a "service bulletin", and the "recall" itself would be on the
specific part.

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nkkollaw
CNET is still autoplaying videos with sound in 2019.

I thought companies already figured out in the 90s that there's nothing more
annoying than that. I guess I was mistaken.

~~~
kingnothing
Assuming you've switched back to Firefox, you can fully disable autoplay
across the board.

Visit about:config?filter=autoplay and change media.autoplay.allow-muted to
false.

~~~
OrgNet
there are ways around anything, but it should be the default behavior...

