Apple finally own up to and agree to fix hinge issues!

[JamesBerry]

We all knew it was a design fault. Now they have tacidly admitted it!

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2948

Symptoms

Learn what you can do if you experience one or more of these issues with the hinges on your MacBook Air.

* Unable to close lid completely.
* Broken or cracked plastic near one or both of the hinges.
* More than one inch (2.54cm) of free play while opening or closing the lid.
* Lid falls freely into closed position from a 30-degree open position. (From a closed position, open the lid approximately 30 degrees and let go.)

Products Affected
MacBook Air

Resolution

You can take your MacBook Air to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation and repair if necessary, even if your product is out of warranty.

If you previously paid for a repair for hinge-related issues that were not caused by accidental damage, you may be eligible for a refund. Contact Apple for more information.

 

[Tifosi Red]

Fantastic news!

That is great to hear. I've had no significant problem but it is nice to know a safety net of sorts exists. This could allay fears when reselling too...

Tif

 

[timsutcliffe]

Lovely

That's great news. Mine is well on the way to having the 2.54cm of free play. It's good to know that i'll be able to get it sorted if it gets worse, even if it's out of warranty.

 

[duky]

This is pretty great. Especially the part that says that if you previously had to pay to have it fixed they will give you a refund because I know a friend who was forced to pay $600 to fix this.

 

[Veinticinco]

Good news...

Next up, the crappy display lines issue please

 

[tim100]

That is great to hear. I've had no significant problem but it is nice to know a safety net of sorts exists. This could allay fears when reselling too...

Tif

How do you like your set up a 17 mbp and an air?

 

[Mactagonist]

More than one inch (2.54cm) of free play while opening or closing the lid.

Is this referring to wiggle while open, or something else?

 

[mac jones]

this is great news!

I was even reluctant to sell mine as i don't have much faith in the hinge and I can't expect everyone to treat it with kit gloves.

But with this it's like a very nice extended warranty.

thanks for the link!

note: the hinge must be truly defective

 

[JamesBerry]

I pick up my fixed one from apple tomorrow... dropped it by the store before this was dated but they didn't argue at all when I took it in.

 

[adamjackson]

Awesomeness!

Mine is brand new and working great. have applecare but I'm glad to see Apple stepping up on this.

 

[slapguts]

Great news. I'm starting to notice a slight wobble. I have AppleCare, but still. Good to know.

 

[ryan.hayes79]

This is good news. I had a rev A and sold it before I had any issues but was developing play in the hinge.

 

[zedsdead]

Good start, when are they gonna fix the line issue.

 

[Scottsdale]

I am glad Apple has owned up to this. Also nice to read all of those who wrongly had to pay are eligible for refunds.

I have never personally seen the problem. But I am glad to know coverage is available if needed.

 

[Takuta-Nui]

Well done. Now if Rev.D has better hinges and a lineless screen, then I just may resell my uMB and get an Air.

Here's to hoping!

But it is actually very encouraging and commendable that they've owned up to such serious flaws, and are even offering reimbursement for past repairs. Now that's the kind of customer service I'd expect.

 

[three]

Is this referring to wiggle while open, or something else?

When the screen can't hold it's position standing up, it just falls.

 

[Scottsdale]

When the screen can't hold it's position standing up, it just falls.

How often is it caused by people pushing the screen back too far? It really doesn't go back far enough, and I have read people here stating they intentionally snapped it so it would go bac farther. I also wonder if those plastic Speck cases are too heavy for the hinges?

I agree that there have been a few reports of the hinge failing during normal use. But I wonder how many broke the hinge accidentally by pushing back too far or using a hard case on it?

Another thing is I have only read about the original MBAs doing this. However the article doesn't specify that newer revisions aren't affected? I wonder if Apple changed the hinge for the 2,1 changes? Or is this an issue that will affect newer units after use?

If I think about it, I have maybe read five to ten cases of this happening. I wonder how big/small of a problem this truly is?

I certainly haven't ever had any play in the three models I have had. I sorta laughed yesterday when I read a post and the poster stated how the hinge was a factor in his/her decision... LOL. The best part was this poster said the hinge design is 100x better in the 13" MBP. I really find this funny as someone would be so concerned and state the hinge was designed "100x" better in the MBP. I wonder how scientific this assesment was? LMAO. I wonder what goes through someone's mind to decide the 13" MBP has a 100x better hinge design and therefore he/she would buy the MBP over the MBA. Let's face it, there aren't a lot of reports of broken hinges. In health we would consider this a hypochondriac. What would it be referred to in the case of over assumption that a hinge will fail on an MBA? I just really find this absurd as a reason to select a MBP. I find it even more absurd that one would come up with a number of 100x better of hinge in a MBP.

I mean the failure rate of the hinge in the MBA may be like 1 in 1000??? What are the odds one would become ill with cancer or some health condition -certainly greater than 1 in 10. My point is this has to be a pretty serious concern for this poster to give it merit to claim it's 100x worse in the MBA than it is in the MBP.

 

[King t.]

I mean the failure rate of the hinge in the MBA may be like 1 in 1000??? What are the odds one would become ill with cancer or some health condition -certainly greater than 1 in 10. My point is this has to be a pretty serious concern for this poster to give it merit to claim it's 100x worse in the MBA than it is in the MBP.

sorry have to correct u there, i have owned 5 MBA's and 3 of them had hinge problems. and the last one was a 2,13ghz model, that's the reason i sold it and went back to a unibody MB.

but i would consider buying the MBA rec:C 2,13ghz now again, since apple has acknowledged the hinge problem

 

[Scottsdale]

sorry have to correct u there, i have owned 5 MBA's and 3 of them had hinge problems. and the last one was a 2,13ghz model, that's the reason i sold it and went back to a unibody MB.

but i would consider buying the MBA rec:C 2,13ghz now again, since apple has acknowledged the hinge problem

First, you're not correcting me. My experiences are mine not yours.

Are you one of these people that snaps the display lid back farther?

I honestly don't believe anyone who says they broke three of them? Or is it just not as tight as you would prefer?

I have had three MBAs, and used/tried out maybe 45 others. I have NEVER seen a broken hinge nor heard of one of my friends having a broken hinge on their MBA.

So, I definitely think we are talking user error in your case... LMAO

 

[King t.]

First, you're not correcting me. My experiences are mine not yours.

Are you one of these people that snaps the display lid back farther?

I honestly don't believe anyone who says they broke three of them? Or is it just not as tight as you would prefer?

I have had three MBAs, and used/tried out maybe 45 others. I have NEVER seen a broken hinge nor heard of one of my friends having a broken hinge on their MBA.

So, I definitely think we are talking user error in your case... LMAO

ok case i misunderstood your statement, I thought u were speaking in general^^

anyways i'm not one of those who snapped the display back. and i also did not have any totally broken hinges. the problem by mine where always factory failures, which also was acknowledge by Apple support. that's why they refunded my money and i was able to uy a unibiody MB again. they gave me 3 defective MBA's in a row and all of them had issues with the hinge! with my first 2 MBA's which were REV:A i never had any issue with the hinge!

so it's not USER ERROR, it's a manufacturer ERROR

 

[Scottsdale]

ok case i misunderstood your statement, I thought u were speaking in general^^

anyways i'm not one of those who snapped the display back. and i also did not have any totally broken hinges. the problem by mine where always factory failures, which also was acknowledge by Apple support. that's why they refunded my money and i was able to uy a unibiody MB again. they gave me 3 defective MBA's in a row and all of them had issues with the hinge! with my first 2 MBA's which were REV:A i never had any issue with the hinge!

so it's not USER ERROR, it's a manufacturer ERROR

So all three (of five) in a row (?) had faulty hinges which Apple acknowledged because out of the box the lid was too loose for normal use?

I agree Apple's quality control can be rather poor and they do ship poorly functioning units. It's hard for me to believe we have similar expectations about how tight a lid should be because I have never used/tested an MBA with loose hinge(s).

Perhaps they were all three in the same shipment and the installer didn't tighten properly or put them on incorrectly???

 

[King t.]

So all three (of five) in a row (?) had faulty hinges which Apple acknowledged because out of the box the lid was too loose for normal use?

I agree Apple's quality control can be rather poor and they do ship poorly functioning units. It's hard for me to believe we have similar expectations about how tight a lid should be because I have never used/tested an MBA with loose hinge(s).

Perhaps they were all three in the same shipment and the installer didn't tighten properly or put them on incorrectly???

well the hinges weren't too loose, but all of the 3 MBA's hinges were rubbing on the aluminum of the case, which caused a weird rubbing sound like "metal on metal"

And that from 3 out of 3 MBA's and the last one with 2,13ghz had that hinge problem plus the lines. that was the finale which made me say good bye MBA for now.

But don't get me wrong, I love the MBA, for me it's the best mac out there due to it's ultraportability and as soon as they fixed the hinge and line problem, that's when i'll be switching back to one again. maybe even sooner if i find a flawless machine

 

[MBA-MD]

Just sent mine in for repair.

Do you guys know if they replace the hinges or give you a new laptop? I heard the new generation does not have this problem.

This problem is not caused by pushing it too far back. From the first day the screen had an inch of give. It just got worse and worse. I took it to the Apple store and the guy said it was my fault because I had used a clear case and the case was too heavy. This caused the hinges to become loose.

Then I went to several Apple stores to inquire and of course they all say the same thing: Never heard of anyone with this problem.

Now, there is a clicking like metal on metal sound every time I open the laptop. I think it was a matter of time before it just fell apart.

I will wait to get it back and report.

 

[still in school]

Thanks for the heads up! Very relieving to hear!

MBA-MD, keep us updated!

 

[stoconnell]

Just sent mine in for repair.

Do you guys know if they replace the hinges or give you a new laptop? I heard the new generation does not have this problem.

I am not speaking from first hand experience, but I believe they replace the panel assembly and possibly the top deck and any other bits as needed. You might want to take a look at the disassembly shots at places like ifixit or the pinned topic on tearing down a Rev B.