2016 MacBook Pro Keyboard Failed - No Replacements

[jamesrob]

It was just a few GHz faster. I got my 2016 non-tb for $1200. It would have been $1700 or so for the TB enabled version with just a few more GHz. Apple is getting a bit ridiculous. The technology to do all of this stuff is getting cheaper by the month, but their computers are getting more expensive. It can't go on forever like this. Someday, cell phones will be in the same boat.

kvjm

I'd offer a different opinion. Yes, you can buy a ChromeBook for a few hundred dollars, but it won't come with FOUR USB-c ports, each of which can accept input power AND push or pull data at USB 3.1 speed (for 4K or 5K monitors, TB3 storage devices, etc. A MacBook Pro thus equipped clearly is overkill for email/twitter/web browsing, but for the Apple price you do get capabilities that command a similar price in the name-brand Windows world.

AND, you get Apple service (including AppleCare, which you can purchase, at a discount, on the last day of your 1 year Apple warranty, from any licensed Apple retailer. Apple offers that, of course, because they make money on it, and they make money on it because most people never need it. I've had to use AppleCare probably 3 times in my 30+ years of owning Mac ecosystem products (including the very first 128 K RAM Mac, for which I paid $2495!). One of those repairs was on an aging flat screen monitor (they were evolving rapidly at the time, and a current version was much lighter, dramatically less bulky, but it was still my son's bequeathed display. I didn't even remember that I'd purchased AppleCare. I'd read that repairs would likely be several hundred dollars, but the Genius corrected my estimate to ZERO, because his serial number search revealed that I had AppleCare.

My "b" key now works just fine, and i'm a happy camper.

 

[kjvmartin]

I did get my MacBook Pro back after 5 days. They replaced the key-caps.

 

[jamesrob]

I did get my MacBook Pro back after 5 days. They replaced the key-caps.

Just the key caps? That's amazing. The Genius at my local Apple Store told me they needed to replace the entire top assembly, which was fine with me…
I looked at the iFixit "teardowns" of the 13 inch non-Touch Bar and 15" Touch Bar models, but the comparisons weren't complete (there's no image of the top assembly separated from the rest of the computer). You have AppleCare. I wonder if the reason they replace the entire top assembly for one non-performing key is that they've made some minor change in how the butterfly mechanism works that likely will prevent the same thing from happening to other keys. If that's true, you might ask them if they're confident that your replacement of one or two key caps is really suffcient.

 

[mrex]

After two months of using mbp 2016 the keys get worser. At first everything was fine. It started a month ago - the enter key looses its feedback when pressing it when the laptop becomes warmer. When you type and hit the corner of the key, it feels like you dont have any feedback at all (no key travel). However, it still works. Now also the shift key under the enter key have started to behave on the similar way - loosing the feedback and less travelling.

I was talking to their premium seller (as we dont have any real apple stores) and it was the first time they heard about it. (Well, we all know the story... ) and i should bring the laptop to them and it takes a week to check it. Eh, right..

Im going to wait and see and bring the laptop to be repaired before the warranty ends.

And in the meanwhile, my old mbp has no problem with any keys...

 

[snicklesnackle]

Sales have been good, though, according to the most recent report from Apple. The base 13" has been discounted since it came out, probably because it lacks the touch bar.

Coming in 2018: A bigger TB that includes the numbers row. The TB is the first huge change they've made to the MBP for a while so you can't blame people for getting excited about it.

 

[kjvmartin]

Updated - My "increase brightness" key has failed. I've had the computer back less than 1 week. This is the first MBP I have owned that has had any issues, let alone 2 repeaters in a row. I have owned 4 MacBook Pro computers over 12 years.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Updated - My "increase brightness" key has failed. I've had the computer back less than 1 week. This is the first MBP I have owned that has had any issues, let alone 2 repeaters in a row. I have owned 4 MacBook Pro computers over 12 years.

You were bound to get one eventually they are just a computer like any other and they have the odd problem like any other.

 

[kjvmartin]

You were bound to get one eventually they are just a computer like any other and they have the odd problem like any other.

Seems odd that it would fail again so quickly after they just fixed the problem. Leads me to believe this is a bigger issue with the keyboard in general. I have a Genius Bar appointment later today, I will keep you posted (from the Chromebook I still have on loan, I suppose).

 

[kjvmartin]

This takes the cake.

I went in for my scheduled 1:30 appointment at 1:20, and they got to me at 1:50. They are extremely busy with a lot of MacBook Pro folks. This is a six day old keyboard. This time, his first suggestion was to clean under the key. Funny how last time they didn't try this at all, same issue. I asked for a demonstration, but he had to take it in back in order to clean it. He could or would not do it in front of me. When he returned, it was working better. He ran the diagnostic on each key. I told him last time, they had to press the faulty key a few times to reproduce the error. He pressed it 1 time and moved on, said the result was valid and multiple presses may cause a false error. He told me I need to press harder on the key, as well.

His final word was; these new keyboards are very sensitive to anything getting underneath them (dust, crumb), but not to worry, I can bring it in for cleaning as often as I want for 3 years of AppleCare. I expressed that I felt a six day old keyboard should not need a cleaning to function properly. He replied that it isn't six days old, they replaced one key when they sent it out for warranty work last week. The AppleCare invoice for that repair was $425. So, either it was $425 for one control key, or they replaced my whole keyboard and he didn't know/lied. Either way, then the keyboard is just 2 months old and not eaten at or taken out of my home. I told him I was unhappy with the keyboard and he offered/threatened to send it out again for 5-7 days for replacement of the questionable key.

You'll find me on eBay shortly.

 

[Sanpete]

It's too bad this didn't work out for you.

Is it working properly for now? If a cleaning can fix this kind of thing, that's useful to know, for others if not for you.

I don't think many of these have been sold used yet. You should get a good price. Hope you can find a suitable replacement.

(The person you talked to may not have understood the invoice he saw.)

 

[kjvmartin]

It's too bad this didn't work out for you.

Is it working properly for now? If a cleaning can fix this kind of thing, that's useful to know, for others if not for you.

I don't think many of these have been sold used yet. You should get a good price. Hope you can find a suitable replacement.

(The person you talked to may not have understood the invoice he saw.)

He said you'd need a can of air with a certain kind of nozzle, a piece of paper, and a dry soft tooth brush for the cleaning. For whatever reason, this had to be done in the back room and he couldn't do it out in the open. It wasn't fixed to my satisfaction, as the key still "misses" one out of every 12 or so tries, oddly enough only when the computer is under load. His diagnostic test didn't catch it because he only pressed it one time. It's the brightness key, so not a major function. He said he could send it out for 5-7 more days if I wanted. I did not want that.

 

[rjain2]

I'd offer a different opinion. Yes, you can buy a ChromeBook for a few hundred dollars, but it won't come with FOUR USB-c ports, each of which can accept input power AND push or pull data at USB 3.1 speed (for 4K or 5K monitors, TB3 storage devices, etc. A MacBook Pro thus equipped clearly is overkill for email/twitter/web browsing, but for the Apple price you do get capabilities that command a similar price in the name-brand Windows world.

AND, you get Apple service (including AppleCare, which you can purchase, at a discount, on the last day of your 1 year Apple warranty, from any licensed Apple retailer. Apple offers that, of course, because they make money on it, and they make money on it because most people never need it. I've had to use AppleCare probably 3 times in my 30+ years of owning Mac ecosystem products (including the very first 128 K RAM Mac, for which I paid $2495!). One of those repairs was on an aging flat screen monitor (they were evolving rapidly at the time, and a current version was much lighter, dramatically less bulky, but it was still my son's bequeathed display. I didn't even remember that I'd purchased AppleCare. I'd read that repairs would likely be several hundred dollars, but the Genius corrected my estimate to ZERO, because his serial number search revealed that I had AppleCare.

My "b" key now works just fine, and i'm a happy camper.

James, you should probably search google a bit. While Macbook has 4 USB-C etc., who the f... cares especially when it does la behind others in other categories (just try a touch enabled Windows 10!). I have been a Mac fan for almost 10 years now if not longer. BUT, my touchbar Mac has broken twice in 4 months. First it was the "T" key. They had to replace the keyboard, but in the process had to pretty much gut the whole computer internals including replacing the logic board, i/o boards etc. Now, the "G" key broke 45 days after the first repair. If your computer is a primary computer, especially for work, you (at least I) cannot afford to keep sending it back. I always "trusted" Mac as a superior quality product so I don't have to worry.

And AppleCare--its a piece of crap now. In the golden days, they would understood the issue (2 breakdowns quickly one after the other!). Now,. they are automatons running through the same crap script saying I haven't yet crossed the threshold of 3 repairs before it will be replaced!! SquareTrade is better...just check it out.

 

[blackcypher]

Had my 15" TB MBP act up recently with a intermittent "n" key and noticed the key travel was significantly reduced compared to the other keys.

Took it into the Genius Bar and they tried to replace the key but found out the butterfly 2 mechanism was faulty and needed to be shipped out for complete keyboard replacement.

While the progression of technology is good, I'm a lot more critical of Apple's testing for the mid and long terms. According to the tech, he said this is a common problem which he's seeing at least a handful a day.

 

[maflynn]

According to the tech, he said this is a common problem which he's seeing at least a handful a day.

Can't say that I'm surprised, given the number of threads and posts about the keyboard having a variety of issues. I'm hoping the 2017 model, will have a better keyboard because that's about the time, I'll be ready to buy a new laptop.

 

[blackcypher]

I believe that forward progression is always necessary to push current products into a better form, however untested new tech is making customers guinea pigs and that's not right.

Granted I'm making an assumption about Apple not testing the new Butterfly 2 system fully, however many people type differently, some with heavier key strikes, while others have a lighter touch.

I can only hope that when I have my unit shipped back to me, I won't fall victim to the issue of where another key fails to operate or another keyboard issue "heat-related key sticking" manifests itself with the replacement keyboard.

 

[hallux]

I've personally had to replace 2 keycaps on one 2016 MBP (13") and re-seat the shift key on another 2016 MBP (15"). I have not had to replace any keyboards (well, topcase) but if the Genius was rough with popping the keycap off they could have damaged the butterfly.

 

[vatter69]

I have a heat issue with my 13nTB, too. When playing Diablo3 (at low settings) it gets rather warm. The number row starts to take on some heat. Suddenly some keys (like number 4) make really akward clicking sounds. When i let it cool down and close the game, it goes away. So 100% heat related.

Apple Care said 1 week+ repair time.

Frankly - what are they doing during this one week?

 

[maflynn]

Frankly - what are they doing during this one week?

You're waiting in line. There are other repairs occurring and so they're estimating based on the current load at how long it will take. Many times that estimate is easily beat and you get your machine back sooner.

 

[vatter69]

That's even worse then. If they know they won't touch it the next 3 or so days, they could as well offer me to bring it on day X instead of having it sit on a shelf in a dark room without anyone showing some love

 

[SnackTime]

So - when I first got my 15" tbMBP in March the 4 key would not work unless firmly pressed. I 'fixed' it by pressing the key over and over for around 2 minutes. This 'fix' lasted a few weeks, then the same issue cropped up -same key. Fixed it the same way until a couple weeks later it stopped working again.

After this, I decided to bring it in to a certified Apple repair place, showed them the key not working and they told me the fix was replacing the entire keyboard with a 4-5 business day turnaround.

Two days later the tech said it was just 'food or dust' in the key. I haven't used my laptop as a plate yet, so I don't really trust it is fixed but it is working now.

This is not surprising since it is an intermittent issue. I am kind of peeved that I showed them the key not working but they still have the nerve to tell me it isn't actually broken.

On the other hand, if Apple shipped me a product with food under the keys and this fixes it for good I will be happy enough. If I have to take it in for monthly 'cleanings' then that is their prerogative. They did no a nice job of cleaning my 6 week old laptop.

 

[duervo]

Interesting - thank you for your reply. They told me that they were unable to facilitate repairs on the 15" Touch Bar model, thus, those were replaced while my lowly 13" base model would be in the repair queue. One thing I forgot to mention in the OP - when I checked in at the Genius Bar, the Genius assigned to my table was very busy. They brought in a backup helper who tested my keyboard for 10 seconds, looked at the Genius and said "another golden ticket." I really felt like I'd be getting a new one after that remark. Perhaps they were making some inside reference to this prominent issue?

In the day/age of the Internet, if you give certain people better treatment and then change that treatment, you're going to alienate some customers. I went right home, (for the first time) added up my Apple products spending since I converted in 2004, and immediately began to question my brand loyalty. I could switch from Pages to Google Docs, load my photos into some other Cloud service, and call it a day much easier after this experience. This Chromebook I've been loaned was $149 and does quite well.

Seems like you want instant resolution without having to wait a day or two. If so, you should get a Lenovo Thinkpad, and opt for one of the on-site warranty choices.

My 2012 and earlier experiences, compared with my 2013 and later experiences with Apple Support are night and day. It's been my experience that now, you have to argue with them to just get a chance at adequate support. I could ramble on a lot more at length about my various experiences with Apple Support, but I'll instead sum up and say it's not what it used to be. I now get much better support with the on-site warranty for my work Thinkpad (tech came to my house and swapped out a motherboard over a 3 hour period, including troubleshooting and testing.)

 

[mclarenf1]

I have had mine in for repair twice and the random keys are going bad again. Today it is the letter 'b'. I have also had the battery replaced and the screen. This machine has been the worst experience from Apple, ever. Conceptually it's a great machine but in practice, it's been a nightmare! It is about to go out again for repair but the tech requested a replacement. What are the chances of that?

 

[jerryk]

I have had mine in for repair twice and the random keys are going bad again. Today it is the letter 'b'. I have also had the battery replaced and the screen. This machine has been the worst experience from Apple, ever. Conceptually it's a great machine but in practice, it's been a nightmare! It is about to go out again for repair but the tech requested a replacement. What are the chances of that?

Usually they do request a replacement after two unsuccessful attempts to fix the problem.

 

[jeyf]

you may be better off with a partial repair. nothing saying a complete replacement is any more reliabble

 

[moveson]

I'm having this problem with my 15" MBP with TouchBar. Luckily the stuck key is my backslash / pipe key, which isn't used terribly often, but I still need it. I think the problem is related to dust. Apple support asked me to (I am not kidding) reset my SMC. Shocker, the key is still stuck. Hoping the Apple Store will give me a replacement.