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.]

[Kimberly @ Mar 2nd 2008 10:23PM]

My 17 inch MacBook Pro was starting to just shut off? Just go dead for the past 2 weeks with no warning. It started happening more frequently the past few days. For some reason I turned it over and noticed a bulge on the battery pack. THere was also a plastic like adhesive sticking from side to side.. melted looking. It has always run hot, but not to the point that I worried about it. I had read they run hot.. so I didn't care. I just took my 17 inch MacBook Pro in to a Mac store. They looked at it. Showed it to each other. Said look at that bulge. THen they put a new battery in and I left.

[Rob @ Mar 5th 2008 11:17AM]

I also have a swollen battery in a 17" Macbook Pro. Similar story to what I read here. About a week ago, my unplugged Macbook just shut off - lost a few open files too. It was pretty much fully charged at the time. I experimented and this repeated twice more. So for the past week I have been running it connected to the mains. Today the battery is puffed up, just like the one shown in picture. I guess it's time to run for cover. Rob

[Rob @ Mar 5th 2008 7:15PM]

Update to my comment yesterday. I took the battery from my 17" Macbook Pro into an Apple dealer today. Apple knows about the swollen battery problem. Will get a replacement under an Apple warranty extsnsion (my original warranty ran out long ago). Robert

[stubby @ May 28th 2008 1:42PM]

my battery on my 17" mbpro has got the serious hump, it was that bad it forced it's way out the back of the machine, i quite expected it to catch fire, sitting here with high blood pressure waiting for the dealer to open!

[B.Ware @ May 30th 2008 6:41PM]

MacBook Pro 17" just caught bloated battery syndrome after I can't remember how long (over a year). It exhibited some weird behavior beforehand (shutdown, screen dimming), but I don't know if that was directly related yet. New battery on the way from Apple.

[JP @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:29AM]

I have same problem. I bought my MacBook Pro 17 one year ago, in Mexico. My battery become in a swollen battery last week. I lost functions on trackpad and combo drive. I put away battery and I recovered functions... for now.

Pictures on: http://homepage.mac.com/penagoscorzo/swollen-battery/

Swollen battery in MacBook Pro 17

I hope Apple can replace my battery, but in Mexico maybe it will be a problem.

[Ajmir Kandola @ Jul 6th 2008 10:12AM]

My Macbook Pro started exhibiting the same behaviour. I noticed, about 30 days ago the battery would willingly drain to around 20% then cut out. Now it cuts out at around 40%+

I noticed while upgrading the RAM that the battery didn't fit back onto the case as cleanly as it used to, and have just noticed slight bulging, highlighted by an uneven gap between the outer aluminium piece and the plastic rim. It is significant enough to cause it to not rest evenly when installed.

Here are some photos:

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/2946/batt1aj4.jpg

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/6378/batt2sr6.jpg

Model Information:

Firmware Version: 0102
Hardware Revision: 0202
Cell Revision: 0100

Charge Information:

Charge remaining (mAh): 2735
Fully charged: Yes
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 2862

Health Information:

Cycle count: 302
Condition: Good

iStat Health: 45% (a few days ago it was 67%, a month ago 80%)

I purchased the laptop in October/November 2006 with full Applecare, so we'll see what they have to say.

[geoff @ Jul 30th 2008 7:49PM]

Same symptoms as all the previous posters. My MBP 17" got preggers today. It gave birth to a pain in the butt.

Luckily, a local Apple Store switched it out for me with no charge in less than 20 minutes. No appointment necessary. Call around---each Apple Store has different policies and levels of snobbiness.

No warranty coverage is necessary. Apparently, it's not a factor with this particular issue.

I suspect my new battery is a refurb battery. Not that that matters.

[Conrad @ Aug 13th 2008 3:14AM]

I just had this problem: took my macbook pro out of a carrying case and noticed the swollen battery. for a couple of weeks the machine had been shutting down under battery power at around 60%. my trackpad had been clicking with difficulty. I'll call applecare tomorrow morning. took the battery out and placed it outdoors because it contains mercury. the gas is lethal. this could be a really dangerous problem.

[Isaac @ Aug 20th 2008 8:52AM]

I may as well add my name to the mix! My 17'' MacBook Pro began shutting down spontaneously a couple days ago and, last night, I noticed the battery beginning to swell.

[tom @ Aug 20th 2008 11:15PM]

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 http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/acer/btp-60a1.htm
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.

[Randy @ Sep 16th 2008 8:52PM]

It started on mine a week ago.

[Larry @ Sep 18th 2008 2:07PM]

Just noticed mine doing the same thing. Randomly shutting off, not holding a charge, before getting to 100% the light on the adapter would alternate between amber and green, getting stuck at about 90% charge.

I'm also going through some other problems with my macbook pro (gets really, really hot, won't sleep, etc.) and the parts are in for that at my local apple store, but I have to find a time that I can part with my computer for 3 days.

Now I also need to get a new battery. Fun.

[George Baier IV @ Oct 25th 2008 3:24PM]

This just happened to my MacBook Pro 17 inch — I have treated this laptop like gold since I got it! I have it elevated on a laptop holder with lots of airflow underneath and always use power save modes when I wasn't working. I went to pack it up last night for a business trip and realized that it was swelling out the bottom— the battery was nearly a half inch thicker!!! What would have happened if I didn't catch this right away? Could my laptop have exploded? Scary stuff...

[Teilo @ Nov 10th 2008 11:13AM]

Just had it happen to me. Couldn't figure out what was happening. I was getting phantom mouse clicks, just laying my palms below the keyboard to start typing. The swelling was subtle, and entirely upward, so that the battery was pressing into the bottom of the trackpad. They guy at he Apple store told me the battery was over a year old, and so they would not replace for free.

[Sigurdur Tor Sigurdsson @ Nov 17th 2008 5:08AM]

I have the same problem with a 17" MacBook Pro. Apple however is refusing to replace the battery.

[Liz @ Apr 1st 2009 5:19AM]

That bites! I'd throw a fit!

[Robert @ Dec 1st 2008 10:55PM]

I had the NVIDEA 8600 CT problem and had to take my 17" Macbook Pro in for a new logic board. Two days after that the new logic board failed and I had to take it in for the same repair again.

Now a week after having it back my trackpad started not clicking properly. I did some research and found the swollen battery problem, removed the batter and sure enough now the trackpad is working.

At fist the bottom casing on the battery was barely separated but after sitting out of the machine for a couple of days (while I wait for Apple to send the free replacement) the swelling has become much more pronounced.

My verdict on the 17" Macbook Pro == Lemon.

The only upside is that even though I am 6 months out of warranty and did not purchase the AppleCare extended warranty Apple have made all of these repairs for free. Further indication that they know they have a big problem with some of these machines.

[Jaap @ Dec 29th 2008 11:56AM]

I have a two year old 17" MBPro. I'm on my second battery and have just discovered that it is swollen as well. Apple is replacing it for free.

[Mike Collins @ Dec 31st 2008 6:26AM]

I had this battery problem with my 17 inch macbook pro the day after boxing day.
I purchased my macbook pro in June 2006 so even with apples battery update extended 2 year warranty program, it was still out of warranty by a full 6 months.
I called there tech support, and got through to their level 1 support, these couldnt help me at all and just passed me over to a higher level support.

Their higher support refused to help too so I asked if I could speak to someone who could help, they then put me through to customer relations and what a difference, these couldnt be more helpful if they tried.
I explained my problem with my battery and emailed them pictures of how badly swollen it was whilst I was on the phone to them.
I actually received a new replacement battery in under 24hrs from talking to customer relations.
I am very grateful for their service and support even tho my battery was out of warranty.

Mike

[Matt @ Jan 5th 2009 5:02AM]

I had the same thing happen to my macbook pro.I took it in to a repair shop because the track pad did not work.The guy did not really work on mac's but gave me a guy that did but he was closed for the day. So the next morning I was getting ready to pack it up and notice it was not sitting right on my desk I took it out the batter had come apart. I took it into the repair shop took the batter out turned on the computer and the track pad was working again. The batter is right under the track pad so it was putting pressure on it when it expanded. Apple care was up but the still replaced the batter for free.

[David Nguyen @ Jan 5th 2009 9:17AM]

I've just encountered this problem with my two-year-old 17-inch Macbook. The first sign was the mouse button becoming a little unresponsive, followed by a squeaking noise underneath the laptop. I turned the Macbook over and – hey presto – the battery was bulging.

I called AppleCare, and while they didn't offer me a free replacement (they argued that the battery wasn't defective because it wasn't leaking and I was out of warranty anyway), they did at least give me a discount voucher worth £21.

And it's good to confirm that even though I bought the machine in Australia, they were happy to service me here in the UK.

Still, it's obvious the problem is a design fault of the battery instead than simple wear and tear. Batteries losing their charge over time is one thing and, perhaps, perfectly acceptable, but to see batteries swell to dangerous sizes is something else.

[Kevin Paisley @ Jan 28th 2009 12:43PM]

Same problems with my wife's 17" macbook pro, battery has expanded nearly 1".
Macintosh phone support guy had me on hold on and off for over 45 minutes, talking to his "administrator".
He said they couldn't replace the battery. When I said this is a design flaw and potentially dangerous, he transferred
me to his supervisor. Supervisor tells me the expanding battery is not a problem or flaw but is "normal" for a
rechargeable battery when near the end of it's life cycle. I said that was BS and asked why other models were recalled
with the same problem. He said it was due to premature failure. I said there should be a class action suit. He asked
if I was threatening legal action and I said yes. He said he couldn't talk to me anymore and referred me to the legal department.
I asked for the number and he said my attorney could find the number and then hung up on me.

The computer is always plugged in and is only 2 years old. Now I'm out $150 because of Apple's design flaw.

[cupcake @ Mar 3rd 2009 2:28PM]

Hi Kevin,

I recently learned some interesting details about batteries from the Mac Store.

Batteries should not be overcharged. Meaning that once the battery is fully depleted you should recharge it, but that as soon as it has charged up you should unplug it. Failing to do this, you risk damage to the life of the battery.

Also the store recommended that if you feel the need to leave your computer charging, you should remove the battery from the computer.

Don't know if this has anything to do with exploding batteries, but it is something that everyone should know about.

[Matt @ Jan 28th 2009 3:27PM]

Just had my battery replaced on my 2 year old Macbook Pro 17" due to a bulging battery. They wouldn't let me take it out of the Apple store, but recently my computer had been randomly shutting off when on Battery Power while there was still about 80% juice remaining.

Luckily, I do have Apple Care so after about 20 minutes in the Apple store, they just threw in a new battery and I was on my way. They said they have no idea why they bulge like that, but it does happen sometimes.

[Luca @ Jan 30th 2009 9:38AM]

Look at this, same cases in Italy: http://www.macitynet.it/forum/showthread.php?t=56112&page=2&highlight=macbook+pro
MBPro 2Y old, battery warped just 2 weeks ago.

[Cupcake @ Mar 3rd 2009 2:18PM]

It just happened. I heard a pop and the computer jumped up. I turned it over to see that the battery had opened up and was warped. Like the others on your photo site, you can see the bag inside. I was glad that I was at home and using the computer when this happened. What if it exploded and burn my house down.

Does anyone know if apple is dealing with this problem?

[cormandy @ Mar 10th 2009 8:40AM]

Me too! First Generation MacBook Pro 17" Core 2 Duo purchased Nov 2006. Always used at home. ALWAYS PLUGGED IN, and rarely use without mains power. NEVER leaves the house. On Sunday March 8th 2009, my wife reported the mouse button not responding. A quick investigation revealed the swollen battery. I paid for Apple-no-Care protection until Nov 2009 when originally purchased. Called Apple-no-Care support on Monday. Same thing another poster above reported: Indian chap said that there was only 1 year warranty on the battery, and put me on hold to "talk to his supervisor". After about 10 minutes be came back to inform me that they will replace the battery for free, however that I needed to courier back the dead one or they would charge me £70. Currently awaiting a new battery.
My comments in response to a post above: there should be nothing wrong with leaving the laptop plugged in; the laptop battery management hardware and software should STOP charging the battery once it is full.
Chris

[Liz @ Apr 1st 2009 5:19AM]

My battery for the 17" MBP recently swelled up. Not to the extent of the photo, but you can tell that it's slightly deformed. I'm going to the Apple store tomorrow. They better replace it!

[Lars @ Apr 2nd 2009 5:32PM]

This just happened to my 17" MBP. Maybe a little worse than the picture here. Took it to the apple store and they said they could probably swap it out for me but I needed to make an appointment for another day. So I went home and called Apple Care. Out of warranty, nothing they can do. The CSR said I should be in "no immediate danger" So that's good anyway. Guess I'll give the apple store another try... and I hate going to the apple store..

[trailbossii @ Apr 30th 2009 2:15PM]

Check out this: http://www.apple.com/support/macbook_macbookpro/batteryupdate/ Reference that if they try to refuse to replace it. Should have no problem getting it replaced.

[Jay @ May 22nd 2009 6:04AM]

So I have been working on my macbook pro 17" for some time with little to no issues. Recently my computer was working fine then all of a sudden in the middle of a project it just shut off. So i turned it back on. then about 5 minutes later same thing. So i left it off for a while. The next time i used the computer I tried to use the super drive and NOTHING. it would accept and eject discs but would not play anything. Not a movie, music cd, not even blank media. I just figured since I use it all the time it just died. I ordered a new one and installed it with zero issues. Might be an isolated random incident. HOWEVER HOWEVER HOWEVER.... I am finishing up some real late night work (currently 3am) before leaving to go away for the weekend to work and I open my bag to check my battery as I have 2. And just like that I said WTF it exploded. I have luckily 2 batteries. The one in my computer I have been using since my new drive install and there have been ZERO issues. Of course on Apples website there is NO mention that I could find about this battery explosion. So does anyone have an idea of what to do about this? Can I go to an Apple store and ask them for another battery. lol. YEAH, I was thinking it was worth a try. I have purchased 3 systems in the past 3 years all for different apps so hopefully they would be nice to me.

anyone have 2 or 3 cents to include. I am going to take some photos of my battery because the photos on here that are posted are no where near as insane as my battery. this thing is blown out from both sides.

[aboschsa @ Jun 27th 2009 11:05AM]

I have the same problem with MBP 17 purchased on feb 2007. But the battery problem has appeared right now on june 2009. Apple does not want to replace my swollen battery anyway!! I'ts a shame!

[Jim @ Jul 14th 2009 11:01AM]

I just found this post when I googled for "mac battery swelling". My 17" MacBook Pro is about ~ 2 years old. I noticed that my trackpad button was not working right, then that my case was warped. I looked underneath and saw the battery bulging just like in your published picture. Upon taking the battery out, the case is no longer warped and the trackpad button is nor working correctly again. Guess I'll be contacting Apple support.

Jim

[mth @ Sep 3rd 2009 7:51AM]

same here. 2 batteries bought the same time. 2 years old. both swelled up so badly that one of them broke the contact pins.

[Vicente @ Sep 8th 2009 6:34AM]

My 2 and a half year old MBP17" battery swelled just like the picture this weekend. And Apple Care doesn't recognize it as a defect. They pretend that I go to the closest Apple service so they can inspect it.

But it is obvious that this battery is faulty and I expect to have a battery replacement delivered to my office. Have those of you with faulty batteries had to go to the closest store? or have you had your batteries sent to your place?

Regards.

[Jan English @ Nov 11th 2009 9:51PM]

I have the same problem, battery swollen, running hot, shutting off, and now dead. My MBP is 2 years old, out of warranty. Apple certified technician claims the logic board is fried and that I should take it up with Apple, that they should replace this since their battery is faulty, causing computer to run extremely hot, hence the logic board fried. Anyone else have this issue and any luck with the apple dealers replacing the logic board AND battery?

[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.

[LBdesign @ Nov 5th 2008 11:49AM]

I discovered my battery bulged out like that today! My laptop was fine yesterday, and today the battery was completely bulging out like the pics above. I called Apple and they were very good with customer service and are replacing the battery. Excellent customer service. no complaints whatsoever.

[Tin @ Jul 19th 2009 3:18PM]

And my date finally come.

[jamie @ Jul 24th 2009 8:05PM]

My trackpad quit working, so I did some research online and found the answer to my problem to be my swollen battery.

[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.

[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...

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

for gods sake, stop getting batteries from sony apple lol

[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 ....