MacBook charger is beginning to melt.

Stop using it! Call apple and tell them what has happen. Better yet take it to an apple store if able. This is not an unknown issue. You might be able to talk them into a new one. If they won't replace it because you're 6 months out of warranty then pay the $80. Better to be safe then risk a fire.

Good luck

I agree with lazypilot! Using the damaged cord is an extreme safety hazard, as it could catch fire and you would end up paying a lot more than just $80 to repair the damage caused by the cord. It would be best to just buy a new one!

Today, after one year and one month my MacBook Pro charged fried itself out with a nosy zap, however nothing appeared to be melted.

That's rather sad, as a power supply has to be one of the least complex items that Apple makes.

The charger (85W) always seemed to run hot in the year that I had it. I had a previous charger (not that magsafe one) that also fried itself, but it was covered under warranty.

My feeling is that Apple has under-engineered their chargers.

To be safe, I would NEVER leave a MacBook charging unattended.

I had the same problem, called 1800 applecare, they dont give crap about you now that youre not under warranty. That would be the first and last time I ask them for help. Go to apple geniuses, I talked to one of the guys, he typed in a bunch of info from my comp and game me a new charger in 15minutes.

Hi magspects!

Were you denied service by AppleCare? If you're out of the complimentary phone support window (90-days) and did not choose to purchase AppleCare on your machine then there's a nominal fee to receive phone-based technical support.

As for the Genius Bar, as long as your machine is covered by the limited warranty OR AppleCare then you're allowed to receive technical support and basic troubleshooting with them.

If you look on the reviews for the 60W MagSafe ppower adapter, you will see that this is certainly not an isolated problem. After speaking with Apple on the phone, and going into the store, I finally did what I never thought I would do and filed a complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (See below). Since Apple has decided not to protect their customers in this regard I felt it was my only option, despite being a loyal Mac user for more than 10 years.

This is a copy of what I sent after much thought today:


Incident or hazard description = I have had a Macbook with the 60W MagSafe power adapter since July 2006. This past week, when the laptop was closed and inactive but charging, I saw the power cord proximal to the magnetic connector spark and a small flame appear where the cord touched the fabric of my couch. I was able to quickly put out the flame, but the raw wires of the cord were exposed and the plastic "protective" cover was melted and brown. If I had not been in the room, it could have burned down my house. Subsequent to this happening (and keeping in mind that I had an Apple battery that was recalled for starting on fire in the past), I looked on the Apple website to see what my options are. I was shocked to find that there are nearly 350 people on the APPLE website who had the EXACT same problem ( http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=701 C0CBE&fnode=home/shopmac/macaccessories/power&nplm=MA538LL/B). The earliest appearing complaint was in August of 2007. I called Apple Support when I could not find a recall and was told that there was no problem with the MagSafe cord and that I could purchase another one for 80 dollars. When I asked how I would know if the new one would start a fire, I was assured that the new cords have been re-engineered (despite having "no problems"). I went into the Apple Store in Schaumburg, IL and asked the same question, bringing a print out of the complaints from their own website. I was asked if I paid for the extended warranty. I said that I had not, but I felt this was a safety issue that should be covered in good faith. I was told that while there was no acknowledgement that there is a problem with the adapter, if there was, it would be a MANUFACTURING defect, which is covered under the extended warranty (which I could purchase today for several hundred dollars). I asked what the difference was between the batteries that ignited and these cords, and was told that there was no evidence that the cords were defective (I had the cord with me along with the print out of their own website). I am very concerned that Apple is not warning their customers of the hazard and recalling the remaining hazardous adapters with new re-engineered adapters. Most Mac users register their products when they buy them, so Mac has the contact information of all of the Macbook owners and could email a warning and offer to exchange the faulty and dangerous power adapters. I have the other complaints and the original power adapter available to send in, as well as the names and dates of the Apple reps I spoke to if needed.

i had a similar problem except i was only a few days past my warranty expiration...i ended up with a new charger and battery and it still won't charge...my next option is to drive 90 min to an apple store and get charged a buttload or use this as a nice paperweight

my friend thought she was having power problems with her new imac and took it to the store...they told her the entire power supply needed to be replaced and estimated it at $900 for repairs..she ignored their suggestion and went to a different apple store, their suggestion to fix it only cost her about $200..yeah, im hesitant to bring this macbook in for a diagnosis

anyway, if you do end up with a new charger, bestbuy,com has them on sale for $71 right now with free store pick up

Mine got so hot I couldn't touch it. today i see that its actually melted. cant get an appointment till Saturday. I would assume MELTING CHARGER is covered?

Must be my bad luck - I've had three of these Macbook chargers get melt; the cord begins to exhibit extreme overheating, then the plastic sheathing just below the MagSafe connection begins to split and within 3 minutes a puff of smoke appears and the MagSafe connector stops working (although a test of the cable further down toward the power adapter shows that it's just the "last inch" right at the MagSafe connector that's bad.

The machines were all purchased within three months of each other, and the chargers all melted within 15 months of purchase, often almost to the day.

Seems MagSafe solved the issue of the connector but increased the fire hazard; I've noticed that Apple's redesigned the newer adapters to have beefier cabling / sheathing - a sure sign that they were receiving consistent complaints about the thinness / vulnerability of the bend radius at the MagSafe connector

I bought my macbook in july of 06 and have my apple care warranty for another year. recently i noticed that my wire has melted near the magnet part (but not the actual magnet). I know for a fact I did not melt it with anything and was wondering if anyone knows whether or not pro care will cover me for a new charger before i make an appointment and wait 3 hours to be seen in the store. The magnet also gets extrmely hot whenever it's plugged in, to the point where it burns me if i touch it. I have to wiggle my melting wire to even get it to charge... If this is not covered under warranty how do I file a complaint with the company? I refuse to pay $80 to fix their mistakes.

My MacBook charger has also started melting a couple of days ago, melting is near the power adapter and not the magsafe adapter however. I took it to a Apple reseller and they are sending it of to be evaluated by Apple Care as it is out of the warranty period. I'm without my MacBook for about 2 weeks now and haven't heard anything yet. I am going to be really mad if they don't replace it. $80 for a power adapter that will only last 18 months is a rip-off!

Have you heard anything back?

I have had my mac for under two years, probably around fifteen months, and my power adapter started to melt. I've been doing a little research and am startled to find out that this is a rather common problem. When I first bought my mac I noticed that the cable near the block seemed rather weak, so I tried not to bend it too much there. It seemed very odd to me that apple didn't reinforce it a little better, but I've always liked Mac so I trusted they knew what they were doing. I was talking to a friend and coworker that is now completely against macs. She has been through three chargers and has paid $80 for each one. I can understand her frustration. Mac has done an amazing job designing there computers and operating systems. It's a shame to have their company tarnished by poorly designed power supplies. As I understand, this problem has gone, for the most part, unaddressed. I looked on the website and they have examples of how to properly take care of the cord. I refused to wrap up the cord around the wings because I was afraid it would cause too much stress on the cable, and it still melted in that area. I only hope my warranty will cover it, because, being the poor college student that I am, I can't afford $80 for a new power supply. Well, I'm off to the mac store. Wish me luck.

Add another to the list, my adapter fried where the wire comes out. It's to thin, a poor design. A plug in would be nice. Like my old Dell had. And it gets worse, my battery which was perfect, doesn't work now.

I put some electrical shrink wrap around the wire on my new adapter. It's much stiffer now. Cheap prevention.

sigh add my name to the list too.

I bought my Macbook back in August of 2006. I never had a problem with it until about a few days ago when I noticed the power adapter cutting in and out based on how the cord was positioned where it met the magnetic coupling to the computer. It was also unusually hot. Just last night I noticed a burning smell, the cord was smoking and the insulation had burned away exposing the wires. I immediately unplugged it; my poor laptop has its hours numbered until the battery dies.

I'm going to call Apple Care today, and possibly drive to the Apple store two hours away if necessary. My laptop is long since out of warranty, but I'm a very poor (and determined) college student, so hopefully Apple will help me out. I don't want to have to resort to threats, but I'm sure there are consumer safety organizations I can register a complaint with. I've had computer problems before, but never one that threatened to burn my house down! I'm very lucky I wasn't asleep or out of the house when this happened.