Battery conundrum

[Pretorien]

Can a battery "read" as good but still be swollen?

How I arrived at the question: Mid 2014 MBP Retina, used with external mouse (dedicated USB receiver, not Bluetooth) I began to experience odd cursor behavior - jumping about randomly - long session with Apple tech support including screen sharing - battery looks good - 108 cycles (I use it as a desktop, always plugged in) full charge etc. Did a system reset - seemed to help but then the problem returned. After I used the option to disable the trackpad, which I never use, when an external mouse is detected, all seems back to normal but....
The case is obviously distorted - rocks a bit on a level surface and there is an (uneven) gap when the lid is closed and a swollen battery pressing on the trackpad would be a logical explanation for the observed symptom and cure so.....

What's happening?

Thanks

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Sounds like a swollen battery to me. I would make an appointment at the Genius Bar. I'm not sure if Apple covers batteries that old or not, but, in my mind, it is worth at least taking to them and seeing. And I wouldn't use the computer anymore until they check it out.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Solid advice from @tobefirst

Apple won't cover the battery replacement. With the case being a little distorted, you are probably looking at $300 - $500 or so for repair.

At least get a quote from Apple. If it is that much, consider going with a newer M1. If that were my Mac, I would upgrade.

 

[more fps]

Just get a new battery and replace it by yourself

 

[thekev]

In my experience, the swollen battery issue is an issue of age, not cycle count. Battery health just looks at capacity. It has nothing to do with old batteries swelling. As far as repairs are concerned, Apple is likely to offer depot repair on something like that, which means $300 or so and they fix everything.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Can a battery "read" as good but still be swollen?"

A battery that is swollen IS NOT "good", no matter what the software says.
It can catch fire or even explode.

You didn't say where in the world you are, but if you have a brick-n-mortar Apple Store nearby that is open (some are closed due to the virus), make an appt. and take it to the genius bar.

It's too old for a "free warranty replacement", but if they have the parts they might offer to replace the swollen battery. The cost for this in the USA is $199 (which includes parts and labor). That's a bargain considering what you get for it.

If Apple won't do the repair, you could do it yourself.
Go to ifixit.com to see what's involved.
There are also Youtube videos to watch.

 

[joesh2]

I was looking for something else concerning batteries, but keep coming across this 'swollen battery' issue. I have just bought a second hand early 2015 MacBook Pro, so I'd be interested to know, did that model fall into the swollen battery category, and if so what do I need to keep an eye open for?

Just for the info, the computer looks in very good condition, has been updated to Big Sur (the latest release), and a battery cycle of 365 - which doesn't mean there's no battery issues, but does say it's working and was not over used.

I've still got - and use - a MB Pro late 2011 and everything works fine on it (battery cycles at 2700, so only 2/3 hours of autonomy), so I'm curious to see how this 2015 holds up and performs.