Q: Macbook Battery is expanding or swollen

Don't bring the laptop nor give them its serial number. Take the battery out and bring it to them. You're probably more likely to have them replace it for free. Good luck with Apple's awful service; it used to be better pre-Steve Jobs returning, when Apple was more of an "indie" company. I use Linux now and my next laptop will definitely be an Acer. They have the same guts as the Apple ones but are ~½ the price!

After two Apple stores telling me I need to pay ~$120 to replace my 3.5 year old MacBook 2,1, I am seriously considering shorting my battery out in the backyard, bringing it in to them, and showing them how dangerous the bulging battery problem really is. Maybe then they'd replace the otherwise useless (it warps my laptop and trackpad when installed) "ticking timebomb."

Hello Søvngjenger    

How is the new 3rd party battery working out for you? I am very curious.

You are 100% correct. Apple accessories are a complete rip-off. They are so overpriced it is insulting.

I also have the same bettery problem - 3 years old, swollen, yet still has 3 1/2 hours life per charge.

I am afraid to use it, but I don't want a new one.

I will go to the Apple stor in London next month when I move there and try to get a new batter for free. Otherwise, a 3rd party battery would be perfect... if they are good.

I had this start happening about a week ago, with common symptoms: trackpad began working erratically; I looked it up on the web and saw the battery may be the culprit; removing the battery restored trackpad functionality; sure enough within a few days the battery was visibly bulging.

I brought the bad battery to the Apple Store as suggested.  I didn't bring the laptop; however, they wanted to look me up anyway.  I was told that the batteries do this when they reach the end of their life.  I asked if this is by design, and he basically responded by not answering the question: "they do this, we see this quite a bit." I said, I'm not disputing whether they do this, I am disputing whether they are supposed to do this.  He kind of danced around it but then actually said that, yes, they're supposed to do this. 

However by now it was obvious that they weren't going to replace it for free.  What he did offer was to sell me a new battery for US$99, which is considerably less than the retail price ($129) - albeit with shorter warranty.  I felt like a chump but figured that if I was going to have to buy a new battery, I might as well walk out of there with a new battery today, instead of ordering (for not too much less) and then waiting a few more days.

The new battery he showed me had the same gap in the case where mine was now bulging.  I said, it looks like this one is already doing the same thing.  He replied that it was a brand-new battery.  I wasn't disputing that it was brand-new, but whether I was going to end up with the same problem.  He went and got another battery to prove that the small gap meant nothing.  The second one had an even larger gap in the same place!  Maybe they're all like that, but it failed to impress me.

I told him to recycle my old battery (it's not as though I would be doing anything welse with it), said "I'll think about it" and left.  If I'm going to put up with another sub-par battery then I might as well pay half-price and get one of the cheap third-party batteries without the smug self-satisfaction that the product is working as designed, and bulging is a feature.

Message was edited by: gyrofrog

Message was edited by: gyrofrog

I've got the bulging battery with my 2.1 Macbook purchased in April 2009. The bulge on the battery is pretty incredible. The battery is HUGE. The top white part (that you see when it's inserted) is literally coming away from the rest of the battery; it's lifted up about 1/2-inch in some spots. If I were to apply slight force to the edges of the top white part, it looks like it would all come off in a second. And obviously this would make it really dangerous, I assume.

So at the moment I'm in Italy. I called Customer Support, got a very efficient sounding guy who cut in right when I started explaining the bulging battery problem, sounding (though not really saying) like he knew that it was a well known problem. He said that this shows the battery is defective (his word) and that it's a manufacturing defect (his words). He then noted that my computer is out of warranty, and that the battery would be covered ONLY IF:

- it was not "easily removed" from the Macbook, or that if it was "stuck" in the Macbook.

He said that if this was the case, as confirmed by an authorized Apple repair shop, then they would:

a) replace the battery free of charge

b) repair any damage the defective battery may have caused to the Macbook

So at this point, the huge, bulging battery that, if inserted, pushes extremely hard and puts a lot of pressure on the battery compartment sides and the top case from below, while also being a possible fire and/or explosion risk, which in turn could prove to be a serious risk of causing physical injury to anyone using the Macbook with the battery, is not that big of a concern to Apple.

In short, to get an Apple tech to look at it, and diagnose the problem as real, I would have to REINSERT the huge, bulging, risky battery into my Macbook and, to be honest, "hope" that it BULGES EVEN MORE, to the point that it is so huge that it gets stuck inside the battery compartment.

Kind of a backward policy, to say the least. Not having a good battery is not the end of the world, and there are cheap 3rd-party ones on eBay at a decent price, but official Apple policy being that the bulging battery is a "known manufacturing defect", and (the Apple guy agreed) poses a "risk of physical damage or injury", will be replaced by Apple ONLY IF the battery "cannot be easily removed" from the Macbook, with no precise definition of "easily".

My only option is to reinsert the battery (probably by force) and take it to an authorized Apple tech, the closest one being about an hour's drive away. With no assurances that they'll replace it.

Oddly, if one wants to be stubborn about it, I guess you could just reinsert the battery and WAIT till it bulges even more, perhaps getting stuck inside the compartment, and perhaps even CAUSING DAMAGE to the Macbook, knowing that if/when this happens, Apple will not only replace the battery for free, but also repair any other damage the battery may cause to the Macbook - which at this point in the Macbook's useful life, would probably mean that they might (it being more cost efficient) replace the entire Macbook with a new one. Odd policy indeed.

Message was edited by: moonshot61

I had this happen about 2 years ago. The computer was past warrenty, but Apple told me that it was a defect and so replaced it free of charge.  Now this has happened again with the replacement battery.  However, this time when I called and told them of the battery bulging I was told, "Oh, this is a safety feature."  I answered, "Safety feature?  Are you sure?"  His answer, "Oh, yes, they are designed to do this so you can't use them anymore once they need replacing".  Yes, it is getting more and more so that Apple customer service is like most call-centres that receive bonuses based on how quick they can get you off the phone, regardless of what they tell you to make this happen.  I'm astounded.

SuperNeechi, same thing just happened to me. Have a 2007 MacBook Pro which had a bulging battery that Apple replaced at no charge Feb 2010. Now THAT battery is bulging - and Apple is now claiming that it's supposed to do that when at the end of its lifecycle. I don't buy it. I tried taking my mac to the Genius Bar, then tried customer relations, no luck either way. I am truly disappointed in Apple, especially after replacing the battery the first time. This time around, the battery didn't even last as long as the first. Oh, and they claim "policies can change." I am not plunking down $99 for a battery for a computer that I am considering replacing soon - and even at that, I do need to keep this computer around to run my older software that I don't feel like spending the money to upgrade..but why should I spend $99 when they had replaced it for the same defect at no charge?? I am  really frustrated and unhappy with Apple.

Apple has a new excuse/explanation for swollen batteries. Went to an Apple store in NY and had a Genius appointment. Now they claim, that the battery swells because the laptop is often connected to the charger. I told her that I had several other laptops but the Macbook is the first and only one with swelling issues (2009 white macbook).

Seems their batteries are designed to last 3 years at max and are self destructed after that

Count me as another.  Have an aluminum unibody Macbook.  Noticed the swollen battery recently and made a Genius appointment (in NYC).  They didn't offer any explanation for the swollen battery, just told me they could not replace it for free because my Macbook was out of warranty.  They offered me a $99 refurbished replacement battery that would only have a 90-day warranty.  No thanks.  But I was told the battery is not dangerous.  So maybe Apple discovered eventually that these swollen batteries pose no danger to customers and don't replace them out of warranty anymore.  So I'm just going to keep using it.  Still holds a good charge.  Trackpad is affected but I mostly use an external mouse anyway.  All told, pretty disappointed by my experience.  For whatever reason, thought Apple would go above and beyond here.  Silly me.

I totally agree. I went to the service centre at Somerset 313 B3 and even brought the battery pack with me. Without even blinking her eye, the customer service lady told me that if the warranty is over, I'll just have to buy one. Apple will not entertain the defect. If it's a manufacturing defect, whether the warranty is valid or not, shouldn't Apple honour the rectification? Is this battery pack expansion unique only to Apple?

I went to the apple store and the rep told me they can replace it for 129$. I told him, I checked online and people are getting a replacement for free (since its a known problem which Apple has admitted). Then he said, do you want an appointment with the genius bar, maybe they can help you. I said sure. The Genius bar guy got a new battery and gave me a receipt for 0$. Now I have 1 more yr warranty on the battery.

I manage the laptops and other computers for my Church, so when this started happening to one of the batteries I took a picture of it. At first, the Battery Pack Shield had a gap in it about 1/8th of an inch. I decided to hold on to the laptop instead of redistributing it like I planned and over the course of the week (not being used) the battery expanded approximately 1/2 on the top (about an inch overall, top and bottom).

Anyway, I took it and another laptop with screen damage in to the Genius Bar. (I never bother calling because very rarely does anyone on the phone or one of the floor reps have any useful/promising information.) The Genius Bar told me that the screen fix one be $755 for a gut replacement on the machine and the battery would be $120. The guy's exact words following that: "Because I just told you the screen would be $800, I'm going to do you a solid and replace the battery for free even though it's out of warranty."

I'm not complaining, exactly what I planned to happen, happened. (The screen can be replaced cheaper via other means!)

I’ve been using Apple computers for around ten years.  I own a MacPro with Dual Quad processors, 32GB RAM, 12TB Hard Drive Space, a 17” MacBbook Pro, several iPods and an iPad.

I remember when Apple’s customer service philosophy was, “Take an unhappy customer and turn them into our best promoter.”

The battery in my MacBook Pro swelled to the point that the seams broke.  I went to the Apple Store located at Easton Towne Center in Columbus, Ohio.  I had been aware of this problem from reading about it a couple of years ago.  Evidently, it had always been Apple’s policy to replace the batter, as it is completely defective, and I have several acquaintances that did receive free battery replacements.

Now however, the Easton Store Manager was prepared with a myriad of excuses why Apple should not replace this battery.  1.) The manager said, “The swelling is an indication that the battery has exceeded its useful life.”  I said, “A battery coming apart is an interesting indicator that the battery is no longer useable.  The “self-destruct” thing is only ‘pretend’ on Mission Impossible”  2.) The manager then said, “If you bought some Duracell’s and they stopped working, would you expect them to be replaced?”  I said, “Yes, if they came apart like this battery.”

The store manager basically told me to go pound rocks.  No replacement!

I seem to see this attitude with other corporations that are experiencing a slowdown in business, or increased competition.  Rather than deal with the competition by providing better products and service, it seems that the order of today is, “Our revenues are slow, so we’ll make up the revenue by putting the screws to our current customers.”

It is my opinion that Apple has implemented major doctrinal shift in its customer service policy to a “Screw You” strategy. 

Today’s PC running dual-boot Windows and Linux is every bit as powerful as a Mac.  Samsung is beating the crap out of Apple on phones, tablets and phablets.  The iPhone is comparatively a toy.

Mac continues to be arrogantly over priced, which I didn’t mind as long as the company stood behind its products. 

These Chinese-made batteries are simply a manufacturers defect and Apple just got tired of providing customer support. 

Apple is no longer worth its inflated prices, and frankly it is now doing a splendid job of alienating its customers, thereby making Apple a risky company to depend upon for mission critical equipment and software.

Who wants to depend on a company that is going out of its way to alienate its customer base?  Once Apple’s customer base gets small enough, I do not want to be dependent on a supplier that is romancing bankruptcy.  History is about to repeat itself and Apple’s management is as oblivious as it was the last time the company was on the fast-track to self-annihilation.

Apple successfully took this very loyal customer and made him its best promoter.  I will forever go out of my way to scream at the top of my lungs how Apple has reneged on its obligations to provide acceptable customer service. 

I will never buy another Apple product.  Good job Apple - you probably saved twenty bucks today.

Hi ,

I facing the same problem but these Apple care docent agree with me. They want me to pay for their manufacturing fault. So, Could you share your case ID/ Mac serial number of the mac that was replaced out of warranty. It will be so helpful.

Thank You,

Yuva

Hi ,

I facing the same problem but these Apple care docent agree with me. They want me to pay for their manufacturing fault. So, Could you share your case ID/ Mac serial number of the mac that was replaced out of warranty. It will be so helpful.

Thank You,

Yuva