Apple offers battery replacement for 2017 MacBook Pro's that won't charge past 1%. Mine experiences this, but only sometimes. Still eligible for free replacement?

Question

Apple offers battery replacement for 2017 MacBook Pro's that won't charge past 1%. Mine experiences this, but only sometimes. Still eligible for free replacement?

Battery life on my MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) is drastically reduced and sometimes it does not charge.

Apple acknowledges this here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212163

"If the battery in your 2016 or 2017 MacBook Pro won't charge past 1%"

The battery health status on these devices will also indicate "Service Recommended." If the status indicates that your battery is Normal, your battery is not affected by this issue.

If your 2016 or 2017 MacBook Pro exhibits these behaviors, contact Apple to get your battery replaced, free of charge. Your computer will be examined prior to service to verify that it is eligible for the free battery replacement.

Mine exhibits this 1% behavior, but only sometimes. Other times it charges up to 100%. When it charges though, it lasts no longer than 90m screen on time. "Service Recommended" is always shown.

Do others experience this? Were you still eligible for the free replacement program? and how long did the inspection take?

BR

Posted on May 2, 2021 5:37 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

68,678 points

May 2, 2021 6:49 PM in response to _usernametaken

I think the 1% charging issue is not an intermittent issue plus I believe coverage is only verified after an Apple service diagnostic tells the tech the battery is covered by the free repair program. Note the last sentence in the quote you provided from the free repair program so coverage is not guaranteed even if your laptop appears to exhibit the symptom:

Your computer will be examined prior to service to verify that it is eligible for the free battery replacement.

While the 1% charging issue free repair program may not apply to your laptop, the other free battery repair program for some 2017 MBPro non-Touchbar models may apply, but this coverage is determine only by system serial number.

https://support.apple.com/13inch-macbookpro-battery-replacement

FYI, here is the current list of publicly acknowledged free repair programs for various Apple products (some products like your laptop have multiple programs available):

https://support.apple.com/service-programs

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Answer 2

kaz-k

Level 9

51,096 points

May 2, 2021 5:45 AM in response to _usernametaken

Hi,

Yes, you should.

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