MBP Loses Charge at 30%! Help!

[pablol]

Hi,

I have a 15" CD 2.16 MBP and lately the strangest thing has been happening... My computer is fully charged, then as I'm working while using the battery when the power is around 30% left the screen goes dark like it's sleeping, so I hit some keys and when it powers up all of the sudden the battery charge now reads 0! So it's like going from 30% to 0% in an instant. Do you think this has anything to do with the recent software update for MBP that supposedly "fixes charging issues" because I never had the problem before, or is there something else going on? Thanks!!

 

[mad jew]

How often do you calibrate your battery? Maybe try resetting your SMC and then calibrating your battery. Hopefully this isn't a sign that your battery is on the way out.

 

[klymr]

Mine has been doing the exact same thing. It just shuts off at about 30%. I talked to Apple and they told me to charge it all the way, let it sit with the adapter on for two hours, then drain it until it shuts off and let it sit for at least 5 hours. Plug it back in and let it charge back up and see if it works any better.

I haven't drained mine back down that far yet, so I can't tell you if it worked. It did bump my battery health up from 96% to 100%. I hope it fixed my issue. The battery is the second one I have had and now has 28 cycles in less than two months. I guess we will see how it works.

 

[sturigdson]

if you only have 28 cycles, i'm going to deliver the bad news- either your batt is dead, or your MBP's power management is screwed up.

Very, very likely, the batt is dead.
but you can try resetting the pram or the power management unit on the MBP, it may help, if the batt calibration does not work out.

 

[pablol]

I tried resetting the power management thing and it made no difference. Got on the phone with AppleCare and they are recommending to send me another battery. This will be my second replacement battery since I've had this machine, plus 2 failed optical drives. Jeez. Hope the new battery solves the problem.

 

[mad jew]

Strange. Make sure you calibrate the new battery monthly to ensure it lasts as long as possible.