Battery Swollen - Destroyed my laptop

[goldilocks11]

A few days a go i was home alone in my bedroom and I heard a very loud bang in the living room. I thought something like a heavy book had fallen onto the floor though I couldn’t find anything. The next morning I realised my MacBook Pro battery had exploded forcing the bottom of the laptop to come away and pushed the trackpad up and out. The whole bottom of the laptop is huge and swollen! It doesn’t work at all.
I immediately rang Apple who agreed this was nothing I could have done to prevent and it is fairly 'unusual’. The laptop was over £1200 and I did buy the additional apple care protection when I purchased it. This has now expired and Apple want me to pay to repair the damage their faulty battery has caused!
I am a very loyal Apple customer with an outrageous number of products so this news is devastating.
I can’t afford to repair it and my work depends on me using my laptop so I am not sure what to do at the moment.
There must be other people out there that have experienced their Apple products battery swelling/expanding/exploding.
I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public. My 8 year old niece was on the laptop 2 days prior to the explosion with it just sitting on her lap. I dread to think what could have happened to her should it have exploded on her lap!
Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place. We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

 

[MecPro]

Similar thing happened to me where my late 2008 swole up to the point of not being able to use the track pad. I was out of warranty too by a few months and I was going to be charged for a new battery. But I did read the manual and it said incase of any swelling, damage, etc to the battery never use it again. I guess this was their way of making sure it does cause damage as it did to your machine.

But who really reads all the warnings and stuff when you get a new toy. Hope you can work something out with Apple

 

[AZhappyjack]

A few days a go i was home alone in my bedroom and I heard a very loud bang in the living room. I thought something like a heavy book had fallen onto the floor though I couldn’t find anything. The next morning I realised my MacBook Pro battery had exploded forcing the bottom of the laptop to come away and pushed the trackpad up and out. The whole bottom of the laptop is huge and swollen! It doesn’t work at all.
I immediately rang Apple who agreed this was nothing I could have done to prevent and it is fairly 'unusual’. The laptop was over £1200 and I did buy the additional apple care protection when I purchased it. This has now expired and Apple want me to pay to repair the damage their faulty battery has caused!
I am a very loyal Apple customer with an outrageous number of products so this news is devastating.
I can’t afford to repair it and my work depends on me using my laptop so I am not sure what to do at the moment.
There must be other people out there that have experienced their Apple products battery swelling/expanding/exploding.
I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public. My 8 year old niece was on the laptop 2 days prior to the explosion with it just sitting on her lap. I dread to think what could have happened to her should it have exploded on her lap!
Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place. We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

And it's especially frustrating that only batteries in Apple laptops explode. There ought to be a law or something.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

When it comes to batteries and technology, poop happens. As long as it's not a recurring issue with MBPs, then you were just unlucky. No manufacturer's quality control catches everything.

Now IMO, since the battery is sealed and it's obviously a non user fault issue, Apple should at least meet you half way with the repair cost.

 

[Queen6]

How old is the Notebook? You may well be covered by UK consumer protection 5-6 years. If so speak with consumer rights ASAP and verify the facts then take it back to Apple.

Apple is no better than any other, however they are very skilled at "curating" their image. If you search this forum you will find that your case is not in isolation, equally much depends on the age of the and the condition of the battery. If we are talking about a very old MacBook with a completely depleted battery then you will have no case, nor will Apple be any more receptive than they have. If your Mac is covered by consumer protection, personally I would take it directly to the manager and highest level I could reach as it`s a blatant disregard consumer legislation...

Q-6

 

[RadioGaGa1984]

And it's especially frustrating that only batteries in Apple laptops explode. There ought to be a law or something.

I truly hope this is a joke.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I truly hope this is a joke.

If course it was.

The OP's computer is at least 3 years old, because its AppleCare had expired. It happens. It's not Apple's fault, and it would not be Lenovo's fault, HP's fault or Samsung's fault. Batteries fail. Crap happens.

 

[T5BRICK]

There must be other people out there that have experienced their Apple products battery swelling/expanding/exploding.
I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public.

Lithium ion batteries can expand and explode. This is well documented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Safety

Typically, before a battery fails in this manner it will generally not function the way it should. Your Mac may have warned you that the battery needed to be serviced. It may have shut down unexpectedly when it still had a partial charge. It may have had reduced life.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204054

Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place. We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

Basically. Apple has really good marketing. You also have a computer that runs OSX, which none of the other PC manufacturers offer. If that isn't worth anything to you, then you should have stuck with a PC.

 

[simonsi]

Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place.

Had you known about this fault then you would never buy anything powered by a lithium battery.

This can happen any time within a range of 3-Xyrs, some batteries never swell, most are replaced/recycled before they do so (or wrongly sent to landfill). Some batteries swell earlier in their life, for that there are manufacturer warranties and service plans like Applecare as you know.

Likely it didn't explode but swelled to the point the CASE burst causing the noise - unless you have shrapnel embedded in your walls?

 

[lobo1978]

A few days a go i was home alone in my bedroom and I heard a very loud bang in the living room. I thought something like a heavy book had fallen onto the floor though I couldn’t find anything. The next morning I realised my MacBook Pro battery had exploded forcing the bottom of the laptop to come away and pushed the trackpad up and out. The whole bottom of the laptop is huge and swollen! It doesn’t work at all.
I immediately rang Apple who agreed this was nothing I could have done to prevent and it is fairly 'unusual’. The laptop was over £1200 and I did buy the additional apple care protection when I purchased it. This has now expired and Apple want me to pay to repair the damage their faulty battery has caused!
I am a very loyal Apple customer with an outrageous number of products so this news is devastating.
I can’t afford to repair it and my work depends on me using my laptop so I am not sure what to do at the moment.
There must be other people out there that have experienced their Apple products battery swelling/expanding/exploding.
I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public. My 8 year old niece was on the laptop 2 days prior to the explosion with it just sitting on her lap. I dread to think what could have happened to her should it have exploded on her lap!
Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place. We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

----

Yet another, sooooo fake 'user experience' - MS, Samsung, Lenovo paid?

I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public. My 8 year old niece was on the laptop 2 days prior to the explosion with it just sitting on her lap.

Yeahh, right...

Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place. We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

Yeahhh, right...
[doublepost=1453537006][/doublepost]Just 1 more thing

And the reason for marketing to troll forums with fake 'user experience story' is simple:

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/12/4q15-pc-sales/

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Batteries don't just explode like that. They swell over time, before finally exploding, and due to the construction of the MBP, it is always visible. The trackpad starts popping out and becomes unresponsive, the 'mouse' button becomes harder to click, the backplate starts bending, and more importantly, OSX tells you to exchange the battery.

I've seen it happen so many times, that I definitely consider it normal.

This has now expired and Apple want me to pay to repair the damage their faulty battery has caused!

Of course. Why do you expect unlimited warranty for no apparent reason?

There must be other people out there that have experienced their Apple products battery swelling/expanding/exploding.

Thousands and thousands. A simple Google search would show you this. Heck, even following the news regularly would give you examples of exploding cell phone batteries, as they pop up now and again.

I feel it is now my duty to warn as many people as possible about this secret Apple are trying to keep from the public.

"Battery exploding" gives you more than 700.000 hits on Google. Hardly a secret. And as stated above, OSX directly tells you through both a pop-up and through the battery menuling to exchange the battery.

Had I known about this fault I would never have bought the MacBook Pro in the first place.

Things break upon use! Surprise!

We all are conned into trusting Apple through clever marketing but really are they any different to other PC suppliers?

Every single item on the planet with a lithium ion battery can explode.

 

[Fishrrman]

Not a word from the OP since original posting.

OP:
If the battery did that much damage to the MacBook, it's may be "un-repairable" for all practical purposes.

It's -possible- that you might get it to run again with a new battery, a new back cover, and a new trackpad. These are "findable" as parts. It -might- work, assuming there's no damage to other components inside.
Check ifixit.com for repair guides that show you what to do, and document what tools you'll need. They also have part numbers.

I don't think an Apple Store will do this. If you don't want to attempt this yourself, you may need to find an independent Apple repair outfit.

If it truly can't be repaired, I would recommend that you see if you can salvage the internal hard drive from it. Chances are this will still be usable and you can get your old data from it once you have a replacement...

 

[Queen6]

Not a word from the OP since original posting.

Given some responses hardly surprising...

Q-6

 

[ToddM7]

Why the fake user accusation? My MacBook Pro was exhibiting the usual symptoms: swollen case, mouse pad un-clickable. I never got any type of system warning. I ordered a replacement battery kit from AMAZON and did the repair myself. When I loosened the screws it became evident of how much pressure the expanding battery was forcing upon the case evidenced by the pop that was made when the screws were released. In fact I managed to strip one of the case screws near the battery. There was so much pressure upon it that it became next to impossible to turn. Luckily for me it was on the corner so I still managed to open the case by sliding it to the side.

While mine didn't explode, I certainly find it plausible that given enough time, the case could eventually and unexpectedly pop. I posted a vid of the repair.

 

[Audit13]

The original post is from 21 months ago?

 

[ZapNZs]

Why the fake user accusation? My MacBook Pro was exhibiting the usual symptoms: swollen case, mouse pad un-clickable. I never got any type of system warning. I ordered a replacement battery kit from AMAZON and did the repair myself.

While mine didn't explode, I certainly find it plausible that given enough time, the case could eventually and unexpectedly pop. I posted a vid of the repair.

(While an older thread), I don't agree with the fake User accusation either. However, the OP's reaction demonstrates a limited working knowledge of lithium batteries and how much they differ from other common rechargeable cells - often, lacking working knowledge is a culprit behind a failure to identify a problem earlier on. It is also sometimes a contributing factor to the problem (for example, the OP may have allowed this battery to remain at a very low charge state for an extended period, which can cause chemical changes inside the battery, that, when charged, can sometimes result in a hazardous condition - they could have also used a poor quality third-party accessory that resulted in overcharging.) With poorly engineered systems, this can and has resulted in fire and serious personal injury (this is especially common when crap quality batteries are used, and combined with crap quality chargers.)

As noted by other Members, the battery did not explode, and the pillowing is in fact the reason a catastrophic failure of a "vent" or "vent-with-flame" did not occur (such a vent, when it does occur, can set other things on fire and can cause injury.) Such pillowing is anything but unique to Apple products. While the pillowing of Apple batteries are relatively common, failure of the containment vessel is almost unheard of. That latter part cannot be said of all other Makers.

Ideally, the system detects the potential for a potentially hazardous situation and then provides a Service Battery message and/or puts the battery into 'death mode' before the pillowing occurs. However, should those safety mechanisms fail to do this, the containment vessel is an additional safety mechanism and is the reason the battery swells as opposed to vents.

 

[ToddM7]

(While an older thread), I don't agree with the fake User accusation either. However, the OP's reaction demonstrates a limited working knowledge of lithium batteries and how much they differ from other common rechargeable cells - often, lacking working knowledge is a culprit behind a failure to identify a problem earlier on. It is also sometimes a contributing factor to the problem (for example, the OP may have allowed this battery to remain at a very low charge state for an extended period, which can cause chemical changes inside the battery, that, when charged, can sometimes result in a hazardous condition - they could have also used a poor quality third-party accessory that resulted in overcharging.) With poorly engineered systems, this can and has resulted in fire and serious personal injury (this is especially common when crap quality batteries are used, and combined with crap quality chargers.)

As noted by other Members, the battery did not explode, and the pillowing is in fact the reason a catastrophic failure of a "vent" or "vent-with-flame" did not occur (such a vent, when it does occur, can set other things on fire and can cause injury.) Such pillowing is anything but unique to Apple products. While the pillowing of Apple batteries are relatively common, failure of the containment vessel is almost unheard of. That latter part cannot be said of all other Makers.

Ideally, the system detects the potential for a potentially hazardous situation and then provides a Service Battery message and/or puts the battery into 'death mode' before the pillowing occurs. However, should those safety mechanisms fail to do this, the containment vessel is an additional safety mechanism and is the reason the battery swells as opposed to vents.

Thanks Zap. Well said.

In my case I almost never use my battery except for on an occasional cross country flight. I'd say 95% of the time it's plugged in. My last MBP exhibited the same expanding battery behavior right before it was stolen. Perhaps a perpetual state of %100 charge isn't good for the battery either?

 

[ZapNZs]

Thanks Zap. Well said.

In my case I almost never use my battery except for on an occasional cross country flight. I'd say 95% of the time it's plugged in. My last MBP exhibited the same expanding battery behavior right before it was stolen. Perhaps a perpetual state of %100 charge isn't good for the battery either?

(I'm far from the authority on lithium cells, but) indeed 100%-charge constantly is not ideal for lithium cells - they amusingly dislike being fully charged and absolutely despise being nearly drained. Presumably, when at 100%, the Apple battery is probably near the peak voltage of 4.2v/cell - this is a state of stress, considering the nominal voltage is 3.7v/cell. Periodically discharging the battery from 100% charge to say 75% charge and then recharging it may prolong the lifespan (although deep discharges will shorten it). For periods of extended storage without usage, discharging the battery to around 50% capacity remaining will get the voltage closer to that nominal mark, and it will extend both the storage life and service life of that battery.

Some PCs have tools that make it easy to set a threshold where the charging terminates (say at 75% capacity) - I wish Apple provided a tool similar to this.

 

[johners]

I just took my MacBook Pro out of its case and discovered it had also been destroyed by the battery (first four photos). Yes batteries have a finite life. It's hardly news. AA cells leak, but the damage is normally limited and can be rectified. If a part fails - you replace it, but it is very different when the battery destroys a $1500 device. I have owned many laptops and I have never seen this apart from with an Apple.... until this week when my 2018 HP Elitebook started to expand as well (last photo).

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yep, I had a dell battery go PFFFTT ... and it went from a 3-4 hour lifetime to about 10 mins before dying. The smell was unique (fruity with burnt electronics). I've seen family laptops have issues - my sister's sony went pop and ... that was that.

I've seen cellphones go pop and explode. Even Anker - I know someone who had an Anker battery die a firey death.

Usually these companies go way out of their way to maintain their "brand name" and will refund the cost, fix, and deal with it - sending free replacements. Everyone I know with a battery issue had Apple deal with it spectacularly - even some with old laptops replaced way out of warranty.

My 2017 MBP was used heavily - daily - Parallels, Visual Studio - high heat - had almost 90 cycles after 26 months and 93% life left - but it spent most of its life at 100%.

Recently, I've found out about charge limiter - and been keeping my MBP at 55-75% charge - should extend the life drastically but ... I've been very happy with my MacBook battery life and longevity.

 

[Benz63amg]

Was your MacBook connected to the wall charger at all times?

 

[johners]

Was your MacBook connected to the wall charger at all times?

In my case, no, the connection to the charger was only when required. Sometimes I left it connected over night, but most of the time unplugged. I do not like leaving devices plugged in and unattended because of waste of electricity/ fire risk / etc.

 

[Broko Fankone]

It's not something unique to Apple. After 2 years of using an Acer Triton 700 (a ~$3000 laptop at the time of purchase) its battery also started swelling and as it expanded it bent the whole top case, which is made out of metal. I had to disconnect it immediately as this swelling occurred in real time (fortunately).

So it's not really about the price as much as it is about the stress that a battery goes through. My Acer was virtually plugged in at all times, even when I shut it down. 2 years on the charger will do it, I guess.

Now, with my 2020 mbp, I'm using the mentioned charge limiter and am being careful about it since I'd like it to survive for much longer than 2 years.

I think there's definitely a positive effect out of the charge limiter. Just keep in mind to do a deep cycle every week, or so, otherwise it will lose calibration and slowly bleed charge while you keep seeing the same number in macos, until eventually it starts shutting down on its own as you see '20%' but in reality it's actually almost fully drained. Doing 2-3 deep cycles one after another should resolve this issue if it happens, but doing one deep cycle per week will keep it from happening.