NEW MacBook Air (purchased in 2020) shuts down randomly

Hi, D

I completely understand your concerns and frustration! I was in your spot all last year.

If your computer is under the 1 year warranty or you have extended apple care, I suggest you keep calling and informing them about the problem. (Yes I know its a hassle) But I think if you make sure to clearly document and explain the reoccurring issue they have to investigate and see that it is a hardware issue.

I was in constant contact with them and let them know exactly was happening even with the support and advice they gave me. And because COVID has shifted how we get a computer to a technician, it may take some time. They sent my computer out and with in a week I had it back.

Since, the fix/replacement (Logic board and touch ID system) the computer has worked great! I have be multitasking, using all video and editing software just fine.

I hope this gives you a little hope. Best of luck!

-E

Hi E - really appreciate it. I persisted (on your advice) and called again. I was able to reach someone live who got me an appointment with the genius bar. Once there, I explained all that was happening. I left the laptop with them to run diagnostics - and their report stated that there was nothing wrong. It was a little frustrating but it was all that could be done. I even brought my other work laptop with me and ran a zoom call onsite for 30 minutes with both machines. Somehow, I didn't create the same problematic situation. They had wiped my laptop clean and reinstalled Big Sur. It worked okay for a couple of days and when I went to teach my next virtual class...the hissing became so loud that no one on the virtual call could hear me. It didn't shut down, but it was very hot to the touch.

I called Apple Support again and they got me another appointment with the genius bar. I explained that I was a teacher and purchased my customized MacBook Air specifically for teaching virtually, editing videos and doing graphic design - all with guidance from an Apple Salesperson. He was very helpful. Unfortunately, this machine couldn't handle what I was putting it through. Very disappointing. When working with the technicians (all 3 of them - they were so rad...really trying to help) this past weekend and being as thorough as I could be, it was determined... that even if we sent this machine to be repaired or have parts replaced... it would continue to have the same problems. So they helped me trade in my MacBook Air 2020 (at full value) for a MacBook Pro with the M1 chip. It cost me a little bit more (my teacher discount is definitely helpful), but it should be able to handle my work.

I've had it now for a couple of days. Was on an hour long call this morning - no hissing :) I start teaching again tomorrow...that will be the real test - several hours on ZOOM. But i am very optimistic.

More than anything, I am so grateful and THRILLED with the level of service and empathy I received from all the folks who assisted me. I am a lifetime fan of Apple products... but it's the people who support their users that make people like me a loyal customer.

Best!

~ D

I'm having the same issue with a 2 month old M1 MacBook Air.

It crash restarts after it has been in Sleep Mode for a few hours.

The rest of time it works ok, apart from one thing.

I've noticed occasional odd behaviour with Mail open.

Sometimes clicking on the Yellow "reduce to Dock" button does nothing.

I have to close Mail and then open it again to fix it.

The Mail thing seems to only happen when the MacBook Air has been on for a while, but hasn't moved into Sleep mode for hours.

None of this happened until I updated Big Sur to 11.3.1.

But, from what I've now read online, it seems I must have been lucky (before 11.3.1.

The crashes while in Sleep mode seems to be a well documented problem.

I've sent the crash reports to Apple.

I've tried safe mode, reinstalling 11.3.1.

I have NO third party Apps apart from Microsoft Office, HP printer stuff and ClamXAV.

Come on Apple, get it together please.

An update ~ last post: April 26th, when I exchanged my MacBook Air 2020 (Intel chip) for a MacBook Pro 2020 (M1 chip)

I have been using my new Pro non-stop and giving it an intense work out. I teach and have meetings on Zoom for several hours a day. I work in Photoshop, Premier and iMovie almost regularly - sometimes while on Zoom. So far, I haven't had any issues with overheating or shutting down. I did have to pay about $300 more (includes the warranty and my educator's discount).

While I am grateful that I finally seem to have a reliable machine, it is frustrating that I went through the trouble of customizing a MacBook Air 2020 with the guidance of an Apple sales rep. I was very specific about everything I need to be able to do on my device. To have it fail like that was extremely disappointing, especially because Apples are so darn expensive.

I am pulling for everyone else on this thread - I hope that you find solutions for your situations.

Cheers all!

~ D

Same exact thing happened to my Macbook Air 2020. Randomly freezing and shutting down with the whoosh sound. It also wouldn't install the Big Sur upgrade. The technician tells me the logic board is failing ($600 repair), and that this is a common issue with this model. It is just a few months out of warranty, so Apple refuses to pay for it, and the senior advisor I talked to does not acknowledge that this is a common problem (said the technician probably "mis-spoke"). I hope they recognize that this product is defective and issue a recall, but I won't be buying another mac anytime soon. It shouldn't be a common thing for a >$1000 computer to fail in less than 2 years!

Has anyone who has had this issue identified a cause?

Hi I am facing the same issue, system hang randomly.. please provide resolution

This same issue is happening with my device that I purchased May 2020.

Same thing is happening to mine and more often. Help!

Same case with my MacBook air which I purchased less than a month ago. Happens several times a week.

Same issue here :(

Do you all by chance have the i7 vairant?

I have the exact same issue for a brand new macbook pro purchased in 2020.

Hey everyone. So Apple replaced the logic board and touch key but still has no idea what the root cause of my issue was. All was covered under warrenty.

Same here. Very frustrating.