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128 GB Toshiba SSD Dead @ 15 Months (MBA 2012) - SSD Replaced

H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
Hi Everyone,

So my MBA started having issues in mid August and finally stopped working in early September. I took it to the Apple Genius Bar and they immediately determined the problem.

Cause of death - 128 GB Toshiba SSD with Sandforce.

I was quoted a cost of $280 to have it repaired by Apple's 3rd party repair center, but decided to purchase the OWC Aura Pro. I know it too uses the infamous Sandforce Controller, but OWC does offer a 3 year warranty.

The installation went buttery smooth, and my MBA is alive and kicking again. But the real question is, for how long.....

Attached are pictures of the install.

*EDIT* For all of us having this problem, please click on this link so Apple becomes aware of our problem:
http://www.change.org/petitions/apple-inc-macbook-air-2012-replacement-for-failed-toshiba-ssd
 

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Last edited:
C

cyber16

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2013
487
28
Yes hang onto that old Toshiba drive as well as it may be worth $'s to prove it went bad and you just did not upgrade
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
clyde2801 said:
Keep the receipts and an eye on tech news. I can't believe an attorney hasn't brought a class action against Apple and/or Toshiba for using these parts and not standing behind them.
Click to expand...

We should bring on the lawsuit ourselves!!! I tried to get a petition going on here, but MacRumors apparently considers that soliciting :(
 
B

Bombay

macrumors newbie
Sep 28, 2013
3
0
These drives seem to be failing about a year after we first got our MBAs. There will only be more and more and more people with toshiba ssd failures in the near future.
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
Bombay said:
These drives seem to be failing about a year after we first got our MBAs. There will only be more and more and more people with toshiba ssd failures in the near future.
Click to expand...

that is true, what we need to do is band together and let apple know!
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
cyber16 said:
Yes hang onto that old Toshiba drive as well as it may be worth $'s to prove it went bad and you just did not upgrade
Click to expand...

yes everyone should hang on to their old parts, I think Apple will do a replacement a few years from now.
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
gavinstubbs09 said:
I bought my MBA in June right after WWDC cause they were on closeout. The repair was free and Apple over-nighted me a box to ship out to them and then when it was fixed they over-nighted it back to me.
Click to expand...

does your warranty reset to another year?
 
Mr Rabbit

Mr Rabbit

macrumors 6502a
May 13, 2013
638
5
'merica
henryonapple said:
does your warranty reset to another year?
Click to expand...

Standard repair warranty is either 90 days or the remainder of the existing warranty (AppleCare), whichever is longer.

The petition is a nice thought but I have to add my 2 cents.

Apple has a track record of working with their manufacturers (Toshiba in this case, NVIDIA is a well known one from the 2007'ish MacBook Pros) to provide repair extension programs (REPs) for affected Macs that fall outside of their warranty. Sometimes these are longer than the original AppleCare period, sometimes they end at 3 years from purchase, it varies. I find it VERY hard to believe that Apple isn't working on something like this behind the scenes IF this truly is a widespread issue. I've mentioned several times that I have around 15 or so of these under my administration at work and have yet to see this issue. I recently polled 2 of my Genius friends (I'm an ex-Genius, they trust me and usually give me a straight answer) as well and they have only seen maybe 2 - 3 of these over the past several months. You absolutely cannot gauge how widespread a problem is based on message boards. The front line of service (Genius, AppleCare phone support, AASP technicians) get a better idea but even then they only see a relatively small percentage of Macs. ONLY Apple has the ability to see the an accurate percentage of failures. If you've worked with Apple for many years then you will likely trust that if they see a high enough percentage (25% or more is my guess) of failures then they will release an REP once an agreement is made with the manufacturer. Apple's not one to issue "Hey guys, we know there's a problem with this very specific configuration, we'll work something out in a few months" updates though.

The wording of the petition bothers me. Apple in no way owes anyone a replacement MacBook Air based solely on this failure. Should they replace the affected component at no cost and maybe issue an REP? Maybe so, as this would be the fair thing to do if they are seeing widespread failure.

Again though, keep in mind percentages. 1,000 message board posters have experienced this? Well that's only 1% of 100,000 MacBook Airs. Just tossing those numbers out, clearly they aren't accurate portrayals but hoping they lend some perspective from Apple's end. 1% isn't widespread. 25% is getting a lot closer to widespread.

edit:
And this isn't me being a jerk, the long time technician in me has to mention it when I see DIY repairs. I hope the Mac's battery was disconnected and you were grounded while performing the repair. Those are the two steps I prioritize when working with any Mac portable, out of warranty or not. ESD damage is a real concern and could lead to further issues if proper grounding wasn't utilized. Just a heads up for anyone looking to replace their own SSDs or perform other repairs.
 
Last edited:
Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe

macrumors regular
Oct 28, 2007
245
19
Atlanta, GA
Same thing happened to me a week ago. I replaced my SSD with the exact same part from OWC. Working perfectly so far...

I signed your petition. I'm definitely saving my expired Toshiba SSD in case something comes of this in the future.
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
Nero Wolfe said:
Same thing happened to me a week ago. I replaced my SSD with the exact same part from OWC. Working perfectly so far...

I signed your petition. I'm definitely saving my expired Toshiba SSD in case something comes of this in the future.
Click to expand...

thank you for your support!
 
K

kage207

macrumors 6502a
Jul 23, 2008
971
56
I really hope it doesn't happen to mine. I really don't have the money to buy a new HDD.

*Knocks on wood*
 
M

minder02

macrumors newbie
Oct 16, 2013
2
0
Same here but with an 8 months delay for reapairing

Hello everyone, I used to hang out here with another ID but since the SSD of my mid2012 failed I cannot find or remember the password (that's the why of my new ID).
Anyway the SSD is dead and here in Argentina the repair service (Apple authorized reseller and repairs) told me that I need to wait 8 months or more for the new SSD.
They "wisely" advised me to make travel arrangements to the US or Chile or Uruguay for a faster service.
Yeah, I know, they are comedians.
So, my question here is, how long usually takes an Apple Tech in the US to repair such laptop.
Mine's got an AppleCare valid until july 2015.
Thanks for any input
 
MrGimper

MrGimper

macrumors G3
Sep 22, 2012
8,104
10,829
Andover, UK
minder02 said:
Hello everyone, I used to hang out here with another ID but since the SSD of my mid2012 failed I cannot find or remember the password (that's the why of my new ID).
Anyway the SSD is dead and here in Argentina the repair service (Apple authorized reseller and repairs) told me that I need to wait 8 months or more for the new SSD.
They "wisely" advised me to make travel arrangements to the US or Chile or Uruguay for a faster service.
Yeah, I know, they are comedians.
So, my question here is, how long usually takes an Apple Tech in the US to repair such laptop.
Mine's got an AppleCare valid until july 2015.
Thanks for any input
Click to expand...

I would contact Apple and strongly insist that, if they can't repair your machine by replacing the SSD, they replace your entire machine.

8 months wait .... sorry but feck that, totally unacceptable.
 
H

henryonapple

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 29, 2012
406
0
kage207 said:
I really hope it doesn't happen to mine. I really don't have the money to buy a new HDD.

*Knocks on wood*
Click to expand...

I hope it doesn't happen to you too! but all of these threads popping up recently do not make your chances look good.
 
T

tutaina

macrumors newbie
Oct 16, 2013
2
0
Same here

mine died two days ago..im extremely sad and dissapointed. I cant buy a new ssd since im a student.
 
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