Macbook's Body Cracking Near Trackpad

[Sunny Reborn Pony]

Hi everyone,

here's what I'm observing during the past week or two with my Macbook White Unibody 2010:

Two symmetrical places of plastic started to cracking without no reason. Furthermore, the trackpad has raised a little above the body in its left bottom corner (you can see this on the first picture).

White Unibody owners, have you observed something like this? What is the reason of this?

 

[pastrychef]

Check the battery to see if it has begun to swell up. The easiest way to check would be to pull out the battery and place it on a flat surface to see if it wobbles. A swelling battery could push up against the trackpad forcing it upward and crack the case.

 

[RUGGLES99]

It's old and dated. **** happens.

 

[chrfr]

Two symmetrical places of plastic started to cracking without no reason. Furthermore, the trackpad has raised a little above the body in its left bottom corner

As post #2 says, this is most likely due to a failed battery that has swelled up and caused the trackpad to push through the top of the computer.
You should at least inspect the battery and if it's swollen get it replaced. If you don't intend to continue using the computer, take the computer to an Apple Store where they can take the battery out for you and recycle it.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Unfortunately, it's a common issue with those polycarbonate ("plastic") MacBooks. At one time Apple had a replacement policy in place, but that computer is now 5 years old, so it may have expired.

As others have suggested, I agree with the battery swelling issue (old batteries do tend to swell), as the cause.

 

[Rusty33]

Unfortunately, it's a common issue with those polycarbonate ("plastic") MacBooks. At one time Apple had a replacement policy in place, but that computer is now 5 years old, so it may have expired.

As others have suggested, I agree with the battery swelling issue (old batteries do tend to swell), as the cause.

Interesting...does the same trackpad lifting occur with the unibody aluminium pros of the same vintage?

 

[pastrychef]

Interesting...does the same trackpad lifting occur with the unibody aluminium pros of the same vintage?

It can happen. Even iPhone batteries can swell up.

 

[Rusty33]

It can happen. Even iPhone batteries can swell up.

ahhh thanks! I'm sitting on a time bomb....

 

[Queen6]

I would speak with Apple, they may just help out, they have been known to, after all if you done ask, you don't get...

Q-6

 

[AZhappyjack]

Interesting...does the same trackpad lifting occur with the unibody aluminium pros of the same vintage?

Not that I know of. Of course, the aluminum case is more resistant to the pressure than the polycarbonate material. Of course, as the battery swells, it will exert pressure on other internal components, so issues can still arise.

 

[pastrychef]

I have witnessed first hand a swelling battery cause phantom key presses on an aluminum MacBook.

 

[DeltaMac]

Agree completely with the other answers about the battery.
Those broken pieces are in the precise location of the trackpad "click-limit" tabs. So, those are upper limit stops, breaking though the relatively soft case. Something is pushing from underneath. The only item under the trackpad is the main battery. The other tell-tale sign is the left edge of the trackpad is pushing out - more pressure from underneath.
You will likely have difficulty just to remove your battery, and the trackpad is not going to click properly until the upper case is replaced - big job on a MacBook.

 

[JackieInCo]

I had exactly the same thing happen to my 2010 MacBook. The battery swelled which pushed the trackpad up breaking the case in exactly those same two spots.

Eventually, the service battery warning came up. I have since trashed the laptop and moved on.

 

[MagicBoy]

It's old and dated. **** happens.

No need for that.

 

[RUGGLES99]

No need for that.

and you are the what police?

 

[BrettApple]

and you are the what police?

No he's not the MacRumors Forums police captain. I think he was referring to the comment not being constructive and containing unnecessary language, implied or otherwise.

Not intending to be rude, but I've seen many of your comments before and a number of arguments brought about from them. So this will be my only post on that.

To @Sunny Reborn Pony, highly likely that it's the battery as mentioned. I'd grab a screwdriver and get it out before it does any more damage. The 2010 MacBook isn't a bad Mac and if it's meeting your needs, or you don't want or have the cash to upgrade I'd keep on using it and see what you can do to get a new battery. Might have to superglue some supports in for the trackpad though. In any case, it's time to get that battery out.

There's a nice guide on iFixit for reference. You will need a tri-wing screwdriver though. Or a small flat head if you can keep from stripping it, they are made from very soft metal.

 

[ApolloBoy]

It's old and dated. **** happens.

Uhh that's not caused by age, that's caused by a really swollen battery.

 

[MagicBoy]

and you are the what police?

I'm not the police, I'm a concerned community member.

I'm perfectly entitled to call you out on a terse and unhelpful opinion that was borderline trolling. It certainly didn't add anything to the discussion. You might want to re-read the FAQ.

Anyway, as per BrettApples comments above I won't be engaging you in this discussion any further, so I'd recommend not wasting any further key presses in this thread.

 

[Sunny Reborn Pony]

Well, I wouldn't say it is swelled up too much. But it seems to be that this was enough to push the trackpad up.

 

[redheeler]

It's old and dated. **** happens.

By far the most useless and unhelpful post in this thread. If that's what you were going for, you got it.

Well, I wouldn't say it is swelled up too much. But it seems to be that this was enough to push the trackpad up.

Wow, that looks terrible.

 

[teidon]

Swollen battery can also cause trackpad related problems on newer MacBooks. For example if your Aluminium MacBook's trackpad stops "clicking" and/or it becomes hard to press it down the cause is most likely the battery.

 

[pastrychef]

Well, I wouldn't say it is swelled up too much. But it seems to be that this was enough to push the trackpad up.

Wow. That battery is swollen very badly. The ones I've come across were barely noticeable to the naked eye.

For future reference, look for an app named FruitJuice. It is available in the Mac App Store and can aid in help maintaining battery health. It's not 100% foolproof and batteries can still swell with its use but it can't hurt and it can help prolong the life of a battery.

 

[dcaballero]

I know this is a very old post, but I still have a 2009 white unibody macbook that I still use, and this just happened to me recently.

I will be changing out the battery, but, does anybody know how I might be able to fix the holes that were made in the plastic case?