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17" MacBook Pro Battery explosion

I

Imao

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 8, 2009
2
0
I haev a Dec 2006 17" MacBook pro. I noticed a buldge in the battery and popped it out. Luckilly i did as it proceeded to explode while sitting on the shelf over the next few days. As far as i can tell its still growing.

Dont have apple care so talked to Apple and they said i was outside the 2 year replacement-Bad luck.

Any body else manage to get a replacement.

Thought you guys might like to see it.
 

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i can not believe they are not doing something about this.

I mean I know it is old, but when i buy a product with a re-chargable battery i expect them to get old, i expect them to loose their ability to charge over time. but what i do not expect is for said battery to malfunction to the point of exploding and possibly ruining my machine and MAYBE bodily injury.

thats ridiculous and i would be screaming so loud they would give me a battery to shut me up. i mean what if it was on your lap and it exploded?
 
Using "explosion" is pretty misleading.

I noticed my mbp battery was swollen today, preventing the trackpad from functioning, so I stopped by the Apple store after work. I have Applecare and they said they would replace the two year old battery at no charge. Unfortunately, they had none in stock, so I'll have to wait a day or two to get it.
 
I have been having a similar issue. Just went in today to try to get a replacement for my Macbook (Mid '07). I got the customary "you are out off warranty, please, go **** yourself".

If you were to actually bring in the exploded battery, and they STILL did not give you a new one, that would be surprising. Maybe take a torch to a pair of jeans and bring them in for effect :D
 
That happened to the battery in my first MBP, the first 17" model released in April 2006. It swelled up about 2 months after the original 1 year warranty was up (but I did have AppleCare for it).

Went to the Apple store and got a free replacement in mid 2007. At the time I had to wait 2 days for the replacement to come in. I remember that the 17" batteries were pretty much sold out (or pulled from shelves) everywhere (even Apple's online store), probably because of the large number of batteries swelling up at the same time.

Apple had a replacement program going on, documented here (note "Battery pack is visibly deformed"). However the page linked to from that article, here, now says the replacement program ended. So I guess it's "your mileage may vary" now.

Still, I think they should replace it for free. Try referencing the articles above and see how that goes.
 
They will replace it...

My computer was out of warranty for 2 years and when this happened to me they took the old exploded one and gave me a brand new one. It's a recall.

Take it to the Apple store and I am sure they will give you a new one.
 
A friend of mine had a similar problem he came home to find his MBP sitting unevenly on a shelf turns out that the battery had expanded, he phoned apple gave them his serial number and they told him he had one from a bad batch and rushed him a new laptop within a few days.
 
I'm really surprised that they wouldn't accept a swap so they could take a look at the battery. Try speaking to someone more senior perhaps? Or...

I know this is mean, and not in-keeping with being a 'good' member around here...

But call them back, and if they refuse again, say that it's ok... You'll email them explaining that you've just sent it off to your pick of most-read tabloid press so they can right another doom-monger story about Apple batteries exploding all over the world.

Should get their attention...
 
Update

Thanks for the replies.
No luck yet only managed to get a 25% off voucher on a new battery
from the customer relations
 
Imao said:
Thanks for the replies.
No luck yet only managed to get a 25% off voucher on a new battery
from the customer relations
Click to expand...

Don't accept that. That is freakin dangerous. Demand a replacement.
 
holy crap... that's grounds for a new, fully loaded comp... and it looks like one of those hypermac batteries! NEW PRODUCT: GROW YOUR OWN MAC BATTERY! JUST ADD ELECTRICITY!
 
Not picking sides or anything but it comes down how bad do you want Apple to replace it. I agree, it is a safety hazard but batteries are subjected to be defective just like any other product (shown by the picture). If you feel like you deserve a free replacement, keep calling Apple if not, just go out and get a new one. This is why I think AppleCare is so worth it. Especially now then ever, Apple likes being picky but with AppleCare you're covered no matter what.

Then there's people who don't believe in AppleCare and feel like they deserve something when something goes wrong. They might be but it's a waste of time trying to argue even if you are right but it takes the other party to agree. I'd like to avoid that downtime with AppleCare and just get me s--- sorted out with little downtime as possible.
 
i agree w/ most that this battery/computer should be replaced.

im new to the apple scene and im not quite sure how they work in regards to warranty complaints but that should be something that they want to investigate...Mainly for quality control purposes. That is crazy!
I suggest getting ahold of a supervisor on the phone and sending pictures.
That shouldnt be a warranty issue, that should be a safety concern for apple.
 
Just use your friend Search, find the recall from apple and get a new one. I had one at the time as well. it wasn't a bad battery, but after the swap I had a pristine battery again :D

A week or two ago my co-worker had a MBP17" with a faulty nVidia 8600M orso. they didn't remember it, so when I brought in a sheet of paper with the official website from apple recalling the nVidia I had not a single problem getting the logic board swapped.
 
Mine bulged out big-time last weekend, lucky I caught it before it burst into flames!

Went to an Apple Store last night and no replacement. They gave me the "it's normal" routine and I pushed back that it's not and it's a serious safety issue... still nothing. Calling Apple CS to see if they'll do anything.

Funny thing is, I posted my situation in Apple's support forums and described what the Genius told me that it was "normal, batteries expand" excuse, but when I said okay, I'll keep using it then and he said don't because it's dangerous. Well, the thread went missing within 15 minutes, nice move Apple. :rolleyes:
 
The bulged battery should be replaced for free and your computer should be replaced for free if it leaked any acid anywhere.

It´s one thing to have the battery not hold a charge after 2 years, it´s another for it to bulge like that.
 
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