Swollen batteries affecting 17-inch MacBook Pros too?

The engorged battery photos you see above and in the gallery below were sent to us by a reader named Brian. He claims that he was watching a movie on his 17-inch MacBook Pro (core duo) when it suddenly shut off. This happened twice before, only this time with a notable difference: his battery was fit to burst. As we have all learned, swelling is typically the final stage before explosion. We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now due to sketchy claims, but this is about the fourth seemingly valid case we've come across which could be a sign of a worrisome trend. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that Apple had to recall batteries. So what's up, anyone else out there experiencing battery bloat on their 17-inch MBP?

Gallery: Swollen batteries affecting 17-inch MacBook Pros too?

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[Thanks, Brian M.]

[TorontoGuy @ Mar 21st 2007 10:15AM]

"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now"
I bet that if it wasn't Apple you would have been screaming the news with the first episode. Look what you did with the Sony battery issue. With Apple, it is swept under the rug.

[Edword @ Mar 21st 2007 1:40PM]

I have a 17" MBP and I started having the same problem last week but didn't see a bulge until Monday morning. I called Apple and they are sending me a new battery. It was very little hassle so I can say that Apple is handling it well but it does appear that the 17" batteries are definatley having troubles as well.

[tiuk @ Mar 21st 2007 1:45PM]

Oh come on, you can hardly compare a few scattered reports of MacBook Pro batteries to the recall of what was it.. 7 million Sony batteries?

[hank Tang @ Oct 27th 2007 12:43PM]

I noticed same swelling battery problem and sudden power shut off problem with a battery power showing above 70% remaining in my 17" macbook pro. Thanks for bring this issue up. I am going to contact apple and see if they would replace the battery for free.

[jaesoh @ Mar 21st 2007 10:16AM]

This has actually happened to my MBP 15" twice before - I wound up having the same conditions (shut off, swollen battery, no charge) and the apple store wound up replacing it each time, but not before asking me if I had done something peculiar to it in the first place.

"Uh... no, but then again, you guys think that it's reasonable to create a laptop that can fry an egg while it's burning a cd..."

[Aman Patel @ Mar 21st 2007 6:38PM]

This happened to my 15" MBP as well, but it was one of the batteries that was involved in a recall.

[amplesurf @ Apr 7th 2007 6:07PM]

i just posted my recent macbook experiences (fraying magcord, battery, hothothot, no sleep...) with a lovely swollen battery pict www.coconutgirlwireless.wordpress.com) but i forgot to mention in my spiel -which maybe i'll update- about the snotty Genius Bar gal who, when i mentioned my battery experience to her (because I was comparing it to a needed recall of the power adapter) she said, "our batteries have never exploded." when i showed her the picture she declined to comment further.

[andy @ Mar 21st 2007 10:21AM]

for gods sake, stop getting batteries from sony apple lol

[Tomas @ Mar 21st 2007 10:33AM]

The batteries are trying to reproduce. I, for one, welcome our bloated lithium overlords.

[Troy @ Mar 21st 2007 10:41AM]

My MBP 17" had the same issue last month. I walked into the local Apple Store and came out in 5 minutes with a new battery installed.

[carlos @ Mar 21st 2007 12:11PM]

Same thing here. I took my 17" battery to the Aplle store 4 months ago and they gave me a fresh one off of the floor. I walked out in a matter of minutes. No hassle.

[mrsalty @ Mar 21st 2007 10:42AM]

Supposedly these are the safer higher end Li-Poly batteries. Well, at least they aren't causing explosions. So, i guess they are safer as long as apple takes it back I'm fine with that. But, jeez if these are Sony batteries again, they have a major problem with contamination of these cells.

[alex @ Mar 21st 2007 11:06AM]

I actually just sent in my 17'' MBP battery 2 weeks ago for the same reason.

[Rasmus Wikman @ Mar 21st 2007 11:12AM]

I had the same problem. Took out the battery, went to my local Apple service provider and got a new one free of charge.

[BooBoo @ Mar 21st 2007 11:21AM]

"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now"

and you say that the swelling is the "final stage" before exploding? Wow, aren't we the shining example of responsible news reporting, especially when it comes to issues that may actually save an eye, if not a life. And I agree with TorontoGuy above on the Dell laptops that caught on fire due to defective Sony batteries: you didn't show much hesitation in posting those stories, nor did you refrain from blasting Dell for putting defective, hazardous products onto the market, before you found out that the issue involved Sony more than Dell. When Apple's Macbooks starting doing the same thing (due to Sony batteries), the problem was no longer laughable, and Apple got your sympathetic condolences.

Once again, Engadget fails.......

[HZC @ Mar 21st 2007 11:53AM]

Ok, I do have to agree with you here because of the safety issues involved. (But if it's just to bicker, which is what is seemed like TorontoGuy was doing, then you're just inciting everyone for no reason.)

[Matt White @ Mar 21st 2007 11:22AM]

My battery did exactly the same a few weeks ago: http://www.11tmr.com/11tmr.nsf/d6plinks/MWHE-6YTBYA

[Mark Thomson @ Mar 21st 2007 11:22AM]

I've got the same thing but its buckeled the bottom case of my MBP 17"
Going to ring apple and give them hell but need to get all my data backed up first.

[JC @ Mar 21st 2007 11:40AM]

Ooooh yes
SAME problem here !

[PhatSteve @ Mar 21st 2007 11:42AM]

Exactly the same thing happened with my MBP 17" two weeks ago. I took it back to the Regent Street, London, store without an appointment and was seen by a genius immediately when I told them the battery was about to explode. They swapped it over and no probs so far ....

[Max K @ Mar 21st 2007 12:16PM]

I've experienced the same thing with my 17" MBP CD. The battery was acting extremely inconsistant, dying after an hour (or less) of use and giving rediculous amounts of time left in the menu battery meter (+1000mins). It eventually just stopped holding any charge. I brought it to my local apple repair centre, luckily we have one on my university campus, and they got me a new one within a few days. Mine was no where near as bad as the above pictures, he must have been pretty close to the exploding point!

Here's some pics of mine:
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/5325/img3881dy8.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/9897/img3880qi0.jpg
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/6662/img3885ud7.jpg

[Nils @ Mar 21st 2007 12:17PM]

My 17" MAcBook Pro Battery is swollen to, Apple has send me a new battery.

[KC @ Mar 21st 2007 12:18PM]

It seems like Apple well aware of the issue, and replacing batteries for free. They are trying to avoid a mass recall notice and bad publicity. And that's GOOD SERVICE. Hahaha!

[Brian Baum @ Mar 21st 2007 12:27PM]

I found it really funny that I went to the Apple Store last night and with this exact problem with my MBP 17 and my name is Brian. If you are having this problem, Apple will replace the battery at no charge.

[hubfam @ Mar 21st 2007 12:34PM]

"My battery did the same thing" Then call apple and have them replace it you dumb shit!! Engadget wouldn't sweep anything under the rug, in regards to Apple. They are the biggest MS fanboys ever. The proof is in their target audience. Come on guys come out of the closet. You're doin' Gates in the pooter..

[magicite @ Mar 21st 2007 12:37PM]

My 15" Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro did this at the beginning of February . . . got it replaced at an apple store. In short, I think the problem hasn't been fixed yet.

[Thomas Ricker @ Mar 21st 2007 12:38PM]

TorontoGuy and BooBoo,

I have updated the text to more accurately reflect our position. The fact is, the first accounts came in without much supporting data. This is exactly the same approach we took with the Sony batteries -- we did not publish after the very first reported incident for fear of inciting a non-issue, which BTW, turned out to affect Apple and most other vendors as well. Previous Apple recalls (and that related to Sony) are back-linked within the article above. Perhaps you missed this post as well:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/12/macbook-catches-fire-down-under/

Thomas

[Kaz @ Mar 21st 2007 12:40PM]

I've seen people use a swollen battery for months without any kind of explosion occurring. One customer's was so swollen (she had been letting the battery swell for over 8 months) that her computer would no longer sit even remotely flat on a table but was shifting and tilting all balanced on the swollen battery. From tests I've run on these batteries (including dissecting one) I have no reason to believe that they have even the remotest chance of exploding but if the battery is allowed to swell, it can cause damage to the top case and (in very rare circumstances that involve use of a severely swollen battery) some damage to the bottom case. I've only seen one 17-inch Macbook Pro with a swollen battery, however, so this is news to me. I used to work as a Mac Genius at an Apple Store.

[Gujy @ Mar 21st 2007 12:43PM]

Same thing happened to be in December. Apple had a new battery to me by the next business day.

[Nate @ Mar 21st 2007 12:46PM]

I work at a school and have seen this twice now. That may seem like a small thing out of an entire school, but I only know of three other mbp users in the entire school.

[Ian Smith @ Mar 21st 2007 1:02PM]

I have had this happen to me three times with my MacBook Pro. Every time Apple fixes it and gave me a $50 gift card, but I still press them for a refund because it keeps happening.

[belen @ Mar 21st 2007 1:14PM]

I just had this happen yesterday. I went to my local Apple store in Austin and the 5 pretentious black-clad sales guys pointed me toward a bank of laptops and told me to make an appointment. I held up my may-explode-any-moment battery and told them all I needed was a new battery, and they insisted that only an Apple Genius, by appointment only, on another day, could help me.

When I got home, I called Apple, and by the end of my 45-minute phone call, they told me I would have a battery in 5-7 business days, at which point I could mail back my warped battery.

It was an incredibly disappointing day of substandard customer service, and I still have no working battery and a potential explodey situation.

[mactastic @ Mar 21st 2007 1:21PM]

I've had about a 10%+ failure rate out of a quantity of 475 MB Pro 15" laptops. Symptoms...the batteries do not work or they expand as in the picture above. They are the 1.83 CoreDuo variety. All I do is swap out batteries!

[Karl Armstrong @ Mar 21st 2007 1:28PM]

Just got mine swapped at an Apple store yesterday. The tech didn't seem surprised to me.

[tracey falk @ Mar 21st 2007 1:48PM]

I just sent my 17" MBPro battery back to Apple looking like this > http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftovers/429471678/. From the first time I called them on it until they managed to sort out courier issues, it took about 2 weeks to expand from a small bulge to this.

[john @ Mar 21st 2007 2:27PM]

Same thing happened to me, I thought the battery had just died. A few days later my trackpad was stuck in the clicked position. When I turned it over, the battery was huge. Just got my new one yesterday, no hassles, works great.

[Jim @ Mar 21st 2007 2:33PM]

Hmm...from the posts, perhaps we are better off asking if anyone with a 17" MBP has NOT has this problem.

[endlessbender @ Mar 21st 2007 2:38PM]

I thought this was old news. My Macbook Pro 17" battery swelled and died in the exact same manner. The Apple store replaced my battery with no questions asked free of charge about two months ago. No problems since.

[rolland @ Mar 21st 2007 3:06PM]

My friend's 1st generation macbookPro did the same thing at a conference. He left it in his backpack(sleep mode) and noticed the backpack was smoking. When he checked, the battery expanded so much that it bent to casing. Apple sent him a new macbookPro.

[Christian Martin @ Mar 21st 2007 3:40PM]

A MBP I only knew for one night began to bulge last year. Soon it was coming out of deep sleep at all hours demanding tech support and bon bons.

It now has two Nanosand an iPhone in tow. None of them even look like me.

[Jamie @ Mar 21st 2007 3:50PM]

In the past several weeks I've noticed odd behavior of my battery/system. It'll be 90% charge, then within a half hour almost dead--with only mail open and the computer in sleep mode. I'll put the computer to sleep, have a 80%-90% charge let it sit for an hour or two and the battery is almost dead. The fans are still on after an hour or two after being put into sleep mode and the computer is not hot to touch. It is also running very hot at times. The fans have been running more than normal also. I've already had to replace the power cord (after 9 months???) and am thinking that I might want to just replace the battery--just in case...

[Mark @ Mar 21st 2007 4:13PM]

Apple replaced my battery three weeks ago for this exact problem. The Laptop is a 17" Revision A Macbook Pro purchased on the day it was released.

[Gregory @ Mar 21st 2007 4:15PM]

I had this problem also! The thing was pushing my mouse out so far, I could not click. A new one had to be bought. 

[Blademonkey @ Mar 21st 2007 4:17PM]

"We've held off on publishing these bloated 17-inch MBP battery stories for a few months now due to sketchy claims, but this is about the fourth seemingly valid case we've come across which could be a sign of a worrisome trend."

I'm not sure what their deciding factor for a "sketchy claim" is, but it would seem to me that if you provide pictures with your reports/claims it is more likely to be believed.

so to all of you who have commented on this saying that you have an issue, would it be possible for you all to take pictures of your batteries? I'm thinking the more "conclusive" evidence you all provide the less "sketchy" this issue will be.

[clericow @ Mar 21st 2007 4:19PM]

i had the same exact problem with mine, and even after i had removed the battery from my 17" MBP it kept swelling. By the time I got the box from apple to ship it back to them, it had split the entire casing open and the metallic bag inside looked like it was about to burst.

Apple was great about it though, they sent me a new battery right away.

[Camperton @ Mar 21st 2007 4:38PM]

I have a rev A 17" macbook pro. after reading this article. I detatched the battery to inspect it. the battery life has not been that great, but not erratic that I have noticed. when I inspected the battery i saw that there was some brown discoloration on the bottom centre as if from overheating. is this a sign that the battery is faulty and will start to bulge?

I barely use the laptop as I got Mac Pro and have been using that instead, so it has not gotten a daily workout that would test it's mettle so to speak.

[brandon shigeta @ Mar 21st 2007 5:27PM]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brandonshigeta/390743062/in/set-72157594410311876/

[Xavier @ Mar 21st 2007 5:38PM]

It seems like a fair percentage of users are getting rapid replacements at Apple stores. This is yet another good reason for computer companies to have a brick and mortar store.

[JTingle @ Mar 21st 2007 6:51PM]

Yea, I had this happen a few months ago, I took it to my apple store and they replaced it.

[Andy @ Mar 21st 2007 9:44PM]

Yep. Happened to mine 3 or 4 months ago. Took it into a Apple authorized service center and they gave me a new battery. Couple of weeks later the flimsy wire connecting to my power brick burnt out for no appreciable reason ... they replaced the power brick too.

What do we want? Flawless hardware ... but given that that is always going to be hard to control, I am happy to make do with flawless service.