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Apple Launches Extended Repair Program for Hard Drives on Early MacBook Models

i had to replace the stock drive that came with our 06 macbook in feb 08. at the time i thought nothing of the drive failing apart from how irritating it was and how things just aren't made very well anymore. so i went to frys, picked up a 160gb hitachi drive and installed that. worked perfectly since.

i just got off the phone with an apple customer relations rep and told him my story. apparently apple hasn't told the reps yet what to do in the event of an out of warranty out of pocket repair. because i paid cash for the drive and that receipt is long gone, he said he'll have to ask his overlords what to do in my situation. he did take my number and promised to get back to me when he finds out.
 
Interesting.....

I've had my white MB tucked away in the closet for years. On boot, I hear the chime and it *appears* to start up but goes to a blue screen ('kinda medium blue of that matters). I don't, however, see the flashing question mark. I wonder if it's even worth bringing it in?
 
Just the usual quality issues...

Hey, I've had one of those CrackBooks! Mine was the 2GHz version with 80GB HDD. And I thought that the constant flaking and cracking was annoying...

I suppose, having a faulty HDD would be just annoying, if you can install a new one yourself. They hardly cost anything these days. In the meantime, I would just get an upgrade! 80 GB wasn't that much then and it's pathetic now.

But I have to say - I'm not impressed but I am not surprised either. Apple quality sucks! One day I will put on all my issues with the 11 or 12 Macs that I went through in the last four years. Rotten Apple! We can blame Seagate, but the matter of the fact is that thousands and thousands of machines were reported to have failed and Apple admitted a fault only years later? It's not enough!
 
My hard drive died 2 weeks ago.

I took it to the Apple store the next day and they replaced it for free within 30 mins.

This is the 2nd time I've had my Macbook repaired for free when it was out of warranty (had the cracking issue).

As a bonus, they put in a 160 gig drive because they no longer stock the 80 gig
:)
 
I had this same problem in December, but yes, they were already doing it for free.

Any chance this means they'll pass out stipends for hard drive data recovery?
 
Does this only cover Seagate drives? And does the error specifically have to be a flashing question mark?

My girlfriend has a late 2007 2ghz MacBook. A couple of weeks ago, it started getting kernel panics immediately after being turned on. It wouldn't even boot to OS X, it would kernel panic while booting up. I had the computer checked and the techs said it was a broken HD. It was pretty much confirmed when they put the HD in an enclosure and it couldn't be wiped with disk utility. Repairing permissions didn't work either.

She ended up getting a 320gb one so all is well, but I'm wondering if they'll still cover this? If I remember correctly, the broken drive was either a Fujitsu or a Toshiba. It'd be nice to have the hard drive replaced.
 
problemo

I had this problem already multiple times, before I upgraded to a bigger HD. But the thing is, my model of Macbook is not on the recall list heh. Mine is a early 08 Black Macbook 2.4 ghz. Hehehe.
 
Nice! I replaced almost a dozen of these drives for friends and coworkers. I wonder what they'll do if I replaced them and still have the drives.
 
I'm already on my 3rd Hard Drive in this 2007 macbook (and it never even leaves my desk).

I had no idea Apple's warranty covers hard drive failures I just kept buying new ones (though I am out of warranty at this point anyway).
 
smileyborg said:
Apple makes hardware. But they don't make every component in their devices.
Apple uses name-brand components (hard drives, video cards, displays, etc) in their devices. They really aren't at fault for any defects in those third-party components. In this case, Seagate is at fault for shipping hard drives that were prone to mechanical failure. (As a side note, this is one of many Seagate drive failures I have been following. Their quality seems to have gone downhill in the past 2-3 years...I used to use their drives exclusively, but now I have personally had multiple fail on me, and I'm not the only one. I've switched to Western Digital and life has been fantastic. Sticking with them from now on unless things change.)

Even though Apple doesn't make all the hardware, there's a reason Macs tend to be more reliable than PCs.
When people claim "Macs just work," there's a reason for that. It's not the fact that every component of a Mac is made by Apple and backed by a guarantee. Instead, it's the fact that Apple designs their systems in specific configurations. This way, they control what hardware works with what software, and they can account for interoperability between the specific components that will be used. For example, they will design custom motherboard layouts and case designs to separate components that run hot for the most efficient cooling. This results in an overall more reliable device.

So, in summary: Apple certainly isn't infallible. But especially in this case, having MacBook hard drives fail isn't their fault. Seagate is one of a few major hard drive manufacturers, and Apple's use of their drives is quite acceptable. Maybe in the future we will see less Seagate and more WD, Hitachi, and Samsung hard drives in Mac portables.
Click to expand...

They use the same exact components as PC's do. Why is that so hard to understand? The only difference between a Mac and a PC is the case, operating system and the price. If by some chance AMD comes up with better CPU's in the future then Macs will be stuck with inferior processors just like the PPC days. Of course Mac fans will be in denial and insist their machines are superior to the evil PC's.
 
Im having regular boot fails in my 2007 2Ghz 80GB blackbook. Is this a sign of an approaching HDD failure?
 
migsev said:
Does this only cover Seagate drives? And does the error specifically have to be a flashing question mark?
Click to expand...

For those who can't be bothered to read the actual details on Apple's site, Seagate is not singled out in this.
For those who have never fixed these computers, let me say that Seagate is actually the MOST reliable drive used in these computers. I have replaced dozens of drives in MacBooks, and only a very small percentage were Seagate. Most of the drive failures I see in MacBooks are Fujitsu, Toshiba or Western Digital. Actually, that goes for dead drives in general, not just in MacBooks.
 
hodaka said:
For those who can't be bothered to read the actual details on Apple's site, Seagate is not singled out in this.
For those who have never fixed these computers, let me say that Seagate is actually the MOST reliable drive used in these computers. I have replaced dozens of drives in MacBooks, and only a very small percentage were Seagate. Most of the drive failures I see in MacBooks are Fujitsu, Toshiba or Western Digital. Actually, that goes for dead drives in general, not just in MacBooks.
Click to expand...

I actually read the details on Apple's site. I just wondered because the report on the MR home page had this little bit:

Apple's new program appears to relate to mechanical failures of the read/write head in Seagate drives used in Apple's early MacBook line reported as long as ago as November 2007.
Click to expand...
 
smileyborg said:
Even though Apple doesn't make all the hardware, there's a reason Macs tend to be more reliable than PCs.
Click to expand...

I have a g3 beige mac and a g4 based imac (the first one with lcd) and those are running strong.

But every Apple computer I have had (or worked with in my office) since the introduction of the G5 processor has had major hardware failures. It is my experience (not a scientific survey) that Apple computers made today are no more/less reliable than any other computer from a major manufacturer.
 
My 120 GB hard drive just went out two days ago. I bought my macbook in may of 2007 so no warranty. I already bought a drive but haven't put it in yet. I went to the apple store today and got it fixed for free. they even replaced my white bezel and frame because of the cracks no charge. oh and i got a 160 GB HDD!
 
hmm. I bought a Macbook in May 2007, but they only replace drives that are on the fritz. I have had no problem with mine (80 GB). No free drive for me. Maybe I can find a way to kill it in the next six months.
 
scottness said:
The 12" PowerBook. Apple's best portable of all time. I miss mine.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I loved mine too, except the 1024x768 resolution was limiting, especially for web browsing. I sold it to my brother who still has it, and it still runs like a champ, the original battery still holds over 1.5 hours. Talk about longevity, I originally bought it in 2004!
 
From the Repair Extension Program (REP), all eligible repairs with a blinking ? will be replaced with a 160GB HDD regardless of the original capacity:

MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007) 661-4286 hard drive 160 GB, 2.5 in, 5400, SATA
MacBook (13-inch Late 2006) 661-4089 hard drive 160 GB, 2.5 in, 5400, SATA
MacBook (13-inch) 661-5422 SVC HDA, 2.5, 160 GB, 5400, SATA

As far as I know, Apple currently still shipping HDD made by Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu. Toshiba and Hitachi drives are more common with the current Macbook Pros.

I think it's a little too late for Apple to start fixing this problem because many people already has their HDD upgraded or repaired by now. 160GB is a little too small don't you think for today's standard?

The affect model is mainly the Seagate 5400.2 series, which I noticed it is using a special firmware that is different than 5400.2 made for HP. Is this a coincident similar to the 7200.11 bricking issue? I don't think we will be able to know. One thing for sure, Seagate is not my favorite brand anymore.
 
Wow, what a coincidence. I literally just ordered a replacement drive for my sister-in-laws white Macbook today from Newegg. Unreal. And of course the order has already shipped.

Maybe I'll just give Apple a call and keep the replacement drive for some extra storage space. Heck, I may just keep one of the replacement drives I ordered instead since she'll never need anywhere close to 160GB. She barely had half the 60GB filled up.

I'm still in awe at the timeliness of this post. If I had just looked at MacRumors right before I placed the order... :) Who would have guessed.
 
How is this new news? My HD died out of warranty from the 1st gen Macbooks. I got the flashing sign and everything. I didn't know what it was tho and took it to the mac geniuses. They told me my harddrive was actually on a recall list and gave me a new one. This was last year.
 
Yes!!!

I saved that STUPID faulty hard drive*from way back when it died, just in the hopes that they would have a stupid program! Whose laughing now???? Call me crazy… :eek:
 
i have one of these macbooks. i took it in and they just replaced the drive. no questions, just told them it was acting up, they said ok and boom new drive. btw this was about 9 months ago
 
hodaka said:
For those who can't be bothered to read the actual details on Apple's site, Seagate is not singled out in this.
For those who have never fixed these computers, let me say that Seagate is actually the MOST reliable drive used in these computers. I have replaced dozens of drives in MacBooks, and only a very small percentage were Seagate. Most of the drive failures I see in MacBooks are Fujitsu, Toshiba or Western Digital. Actually, that goes for dead drives in general, not just in MacBooks.
Click to expand...

I run a repair shop and I can say that between 2007 and today we have changed over 500 of these drives on these macbooks theyre speaking of now and over 60% of the drives that failed were Seagates with the 7.01 firmwares, I have never seen a western digital drive come in a macbook.

Toshiba drives fail the least, like 5% then fujitsu about 20% and Hitachi about 15%...

Theyre leaving out anybody that bought their macbook in 2006, which is a LOT of people...so good, but a little too late for a lot...
 
I just changed mine and they are good enough to upgrade the hdd capacity from 120 to 160gb for free with my apple care... i hope it wont happen to my unit as it is going to expire sometime this june
 
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