Swollen Battery

[Bezbozny]

Apple communities removed my post within minutes of posting so i thought i d post it here instead



I am extremely disappointed with apple, its support and quality control.



I have a late 2013 Macbook pro 15 inch. In August 2017 i noticed that my battery was swollen and i took it to an apple store where i paid 200 pounds to have the battery replaced. Now 3 years down the line, again the battery is swollen.

I contacted apple support and they told me that i would have to pay again for a new battery.



I am sorry to say but here we speak about a serious, and potentially dangerous situation. It s not like having a reduced standby time in the battery etc.



Having a swollen battery should be replaced for free, especially since this is the second time that it is happening, eventhough it is out of warranty.



I am sad and disappointed from the support that i got. And what is worse is that i do not have the money to replace the batter now, even if i wanted to. But at the same time i can not stop using my computer, which is necessary for my work.



I wonder how apple will react if the battery will just explode one day. I know that i must replace it, but unfortunately it is not possible at the current stage and personal circumstances.



Also when i spoke with apple on the phone they told me that batteries are supposed to swell when something is wrong and there is no danger of explosion... lets hope they are right....

 

[chrfr]

Having a swollen battery should be replaced for free

I'm not sure why you'd expect that to be the case. Batteries are wear items, and all will eventually fail at some point.

 

[0128672]

Having a swollen battery should be replaced for free, especially since this is the second time that it is happening, eventhough it is out of warranty.

I agree 100% with @chrfr. Your expectation is unreasonable. Apple is quite up front about batteries being a consumable item and what the expectations should be. It's up to the buyer to be knowledgeable about this.

If you see Service Recommended on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Learn how to check the health of your battery and resolve charging issues.

support.apple.com

 

[Navvier]

Apple communities removed my post within minutes of posting so i thought i d post it here instead



I am extremely disappointed with apple, its support and quality control.



I have a late 2013 Macbook pro 15 inch. In August 2017 i noticed that my battery was swollen and i took it to an apple store where i paid 200 pounds to have the battery replaced. Now 3 years down the line, again the battery is swollen.

I contacted apple support and they told me that i would have to pay again for a new battery.



I am sorry to say but here we speak about a serious, and potentially dangerous situation. It s not like having a reduced standby time in the battery etc.



Having a swollen battery should be replaced for free, especially since this is the second time that it is happening, eventhough it is out of warranty.



I am sad and disappointed from the support that i got. And what is worse is that i do not have the money to replace the batter now, even if i wanted to. But at the same time i can not stop using my computer, which is necessary for my work.



I wonder how apple will react if the battery will just explode one day. I know that i must replace it, but unfortunately it is not possible at the current stage and personal circumstances.



Also when i spoke with apple on the phone they told me that batteries are supposed to swell when something is wrong and there is no danger of explosion... lets hope they are right....

Hello, Bezbozny.

Can you describe your MacBook usage patterns? Clamshell mode? Always plugged in?

 

[Bezbozny]

This would be true for normal wear but having a swollen battery is not normal. It s a hardware defect which is dangerous for the consumer.

I can bring as example the case of Samsung note and it s batteries which would explode. They replaced or refunded each one of the buyers.

I had no problem paying once but paying again and again for the same hardware defect is abusive behaviour towards the consumer.

Hello, Bezbozny.

Can you describe your MacBook usage patterns? Clamshell mode? Always plugged in?

The laptop has a normal use of a couple of hours per day, it s not constantly plugged in and I calibrate the battery by fully discharging it and charging it back every 1 month or so.
I do not play games or engage in activity that causes hight temperatures etc, I can very rarely hear the fans running.

So I wouldn't think that I m causing the battery excessive workload....

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I have a late 2013 Macbook pro 15 inch. In August 2017 i noticed that my battery was swollen and i took it to an apple store where i paid 200 pounds to have the battery replaced. Now 3 years down the line, again the battery is swollen.
I contacted apple support and they told me that i would have to pay again for a new battery."

You got 3 years out of it.
That's a good long time.
Pay and get a replacement.

Also pay close attention to Navvier's reply #4, I think he's onto something.

Are you one of those "I leave my MacBook plugged in all the time" users?
If so, that probably has something to do with why the battery swelled up on you.

 

[Bezbozny]

OP wrote:
"

Also pay close attention to Navvier's reply #4, I think he's onto something.

Are you one of those "I leave my MacBook plugged in all the time" users?
If so, that probably has something to do with why the battery swelled up on you.

You could read my reply above on this specific question.

The problem is not how much life I got from the battery, but the fact that I am forced to pay to avoid a potential dangerous event (the explosion of the battery).

I had many laptops over the years and the batteries would just die at some point and you could still be using them having them plugged in. I was never forced to pay for a hardware problem that needs to be fixed because your health would be in danger if it will stay as is.

 

[0128672]

You've had two swollen batteries in 7 years on the same Mac. I think about this like car tires, and that getting a flat tire is a potentially dangerous situation. Let's say 4 years after you bought a car, you got a flat. The warranty on the tires had expired and you paid to get the flat fixed. Three years later, you get another flat tire. Again, the tires are no longer under warranty. Your choices are to fix the flat or buy a new tire. Clearly you have to make a choice because it "needs to be fixed because your health would be in danger if it will stay as is." What would you do?

 

[Bezbozny]

This is not the same situation.

Tires are supposed to behave like that.

Batteries are not supposed to swell.

 

[0128672]

Well, good luck. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[Lobwedgephil]

It sucks, but you really only have one option which is getting the battery replaced again in your 7 year old laptop. I would be pissed as well about having to do it twice in 7 years, but doesn't change anything. Get it fixed or stop using it.

 

[AZhappyjack]

This is not the same situation.

Tires are supposed to behave like that.

Batteries are not supposed to swell.

Also when i spoke with apple on the phone they told me that batteries are supposed to swell when something is wrong and there is no danger of explosion... lets hope they are right....

You said above the Apple told you batteries were supposed to swell (when something is wrong). Now you say they should not. Confused.

 

[Bezbozny]

The fact that they told me so does not mean that I agree with their opinion (and neither is my brother who is a chemical engineer)

 

[AZhappyjack]

The fact that they told me so does not mean that I agree with their opinion (and neither is my brother who is a chemical engineer)

Well, as has been stated multiple times above, batteries are consumables... and as such, they are designed to eventually fail. If you think you've had more failures than should have happened, continue pushing on Apple or get your state's (or jurisdiction's) attorney general involved. That's part of what they do - protect the consumer.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Do whatever you wish.
You've been given good advice here.
The rest... is up to you.
So long.

 

[hollandog]

OP wrote:
"I have a late 2013 Macbook pro 15 inch. In August 2017 i noticed that my battery was swollen and i took it to an apple store where i paid 200 pounds to have the battery replaced. Now 3 years down the line, again the battery is swollen.
I contacted apple support and they told me that i would have to pay again for a new battery."

You got 3 years out of it.
That's a good long time.
Pay and get a replacement.

Also pay close attention to Navvier's reply #4, I think he's onto something.

Are you one of those "I leave my MacBook plugged in all the time" users?
If so, that probably has something to do with why the battery swelled up on you.

Well I see you post the same question to every swollen battery thread. I mean instead of blaming the consumers for keeping it plugged it all the time. How about Apple publishes a clear guideline on how to take care of the battery? The current recommendations from the site don't mention anything about plugged in. If that's something harmful they should say something about it. 10.15.5 update with the battery management is a step forward.

 

[Fishrrman]

"How about Apple publishes a clear guideline on how to take care of the battery?"

Recently, Apple did put up a recommendation about how it should not be left plugged in ALL the time.
Seems that I read about that right here in this forum (but sorry, I don't have the link).

The same situation goes for the retina display. Many folks aren't careful about how they care for it, and I don't think Apple's "guidelines" are really helpful enough. So I've put up my own here (now and then).

Sometimes, one has to view the empirical evidence (as supplied by others), and draw one's own conclusions.

 

[Webster's Mac]

I'm not sure why you'd expect that to be the case. Batteries are wear items, and all will eventually fail at some point.

Yeah but that failure shouldn't destroy the rest of the machine. OR...the battery should be easily removable so the user can replace it or leave it out and continue to use the machine. Failure after 3 years? It's not an iPhone. Most people do not replace Macs every 3 years. Hell, I see tons of 2012 Macs still in use.

 

[konqerror]

How about Apple publishes a clear guideline on how to take care of the battery?

All current battery technologies create gas at end of life. Even alkalines. Ever have an alkaline leak? That's because gas has built up inside and broken the seal.

If you don't want a battery to swell, change it promptly when it becomes worn. But of course, people are cheapskates and won't spend $200 unless something is obviously broken, and even then, they try to blame the manufacutrer.

 

[Webster's Mac]

All current battery technologies create gas at end of life. Even alkalines. Ever have an alkaline leak? That's because gas has built up inside and broken the seal.

If you don't want a battery to swell, change it promptly when it becomes worn. But of course, people are cheapskates and won't spend $200 unless something is obviously broken, and even then, they try to blame the manufacutrer.

Why is it that I have 6 laptops with Lithium Ion batteries from the 1990s and none of them have swelling? The batteries still work too (they have quite good runtime for their age...usually atleast a couple of hours). And those machines were built with enough space in between components that a little swelling wouldn't hurt them if it did happen (but it doesn't). It is unacceptable that high end laptops have batteries that swell in 2-4 years when they used to last 15-20 years without swelling.

 

[konqerror]

Why is it that I have 6 laptops with Lithium Ion batteries from the 1990s and none of them have swelling?

Because they house cells in metal cans that can withstand a larger amount of gas pressure. Cans are heavy and inefficient in space due to their shape. The difference is current laptop batteries use pouch cells which can withstand little pressure without swelling. The shift was thanks to the cell phone industry.

 

[Webster's Mac]

Because they house cells in metal cans that can withstand a larger amount of gas pressure. Cans are heavy and inefficient in space due to their shape. The difference is current laptop batteries use pouch cells which can withstand little pressure without swelling. The shift was thanks to the cell phone industry.

Wouldn't the cans explode after a while?

 

[TiggrToo]

It s a hardware defect which is dangerous for the consumer.

You of course have proof of this accusation, right?

 

[konqerror]

Wouldn't the cans explode after a while?

They would, so manufacturers put in safety vents. That's the tiny hole by the positive terminal. Sealed devices, particularly waterproof flashlights, are supposed to take this into account.

 

[Bezbozny]

Well... plenty... firstly my brother has studied batteries so I dont need the internet to tell me but you can easily Google it.. eg

Beware the bulgy battery: lithium-ion batteries removed from laptops can still be dangerous

If a lithium-ion battery has overheated, smells, or has distended, take immediate steps for your safety.

www.macworld.com

"If you believe the battery in your phone, tablet, or laptop has started to expand, unplug the device immediately if it’s plugged in, and turn it off if at all possible. Don’t charge or use it at all, because lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that are bulging have already bypassed built-in safeguards and are swollen with gases. Continued charging or use could lead to a runaway reaction that results in a fire or an explosion."