Swollen battery on MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)

In theory you should be able to get a battery repair from Apple for up to 10 years, but Apple only implemented this change earlier this year. The exact details are unknown since Apple's information has been very vague and limited. The 2014 model is considered "Vintage" which means that repairs may only be possible from an AASP as long as the necessary parts are still available. From what I've seen and read, only AASPs which perform repairs within their own shop are able to repair "Vintage" computers since many Apple Stores and a lot of AASPs will just mail a laptop to an Apple mail-in repair depot, but the mail-in repair depot AFAIK is unable to repair "Vintage" products. Again, Apple's information on all of this is very vague and confusing. Plus things do work differently in each region. This is what I have pieced together from various Apple documentation and also our organization's own interaction with Apple for some "Vintage" repairs. Unfortunately our organization has had mixed results getting official battery repairs for older laptops which in theory should have support for battery replacements for up to 10 years, but Apple's documentation has some tiny vaguely worded footnote qualifying statements which calls into question whether it is just smoke & mirrors.

Try to get an official Apple battery repair if at all possible if you intend to continue using the laptop for as long as possible. If an official Apple battery repair is not possible, then check out OWC to see whether you feel up to replacing the battery yourself or having an independent Apple repair shop do it for you (it is a lot of work, plus you must safely recycle the battery at a recycling center). Unfortunately the quality of third party Lithium-ion batteries is extremely poor which is why I recommend Apple to replace the battery if at all possible. The next best option is a battery from OWC. I would avoid most other third party batteries since it is nearly impossible to find a trustworthy vendor able to supply good batteries all the time.

FYI, I can no longer find the article which contains the 10 year battery replacement option, although the last time I found the reference it was just a tiny footnote within another article.

Stop using the laptop immediately and disconnect the charger. Power off the laptop as well. If you are comfortable opening the laptop you can even disconnect the battery from the Logic Board. It is important to minimize electrical activity within the battery to help prevent further swelling of the battery which could damage the Trackpad (especially important if going for a third party battery like OWC).

HWTech wrote:

FYI, I can no longer find the article which contains the 10 year battery replacement option, although the last time I found the reference it was just a tiny footnote within another article.

Should still be there. As you hint, it's a definite maybe.

Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support

Service and parts may be obtained for longer, as required by law or for up to 7 years, subject to parts availability. Additionally, Mac notebooks may be eligible for an extended battery-only repair period for up to 10 years from when the product was last distributed for sale, subject to parts availability.

Yes: Get help with your Mac notebook battery - Apple Support

Do not attempt to open the case on your own.

It's really the determination of an Apple (or AASP) technician whether or not they'll repair it with just a battery repair - or repair it at all. Also - it's important to note that for you model it would be done as a top case replacement where the condition of the case and keyboard is a consideration for whether or not it's charged as a battery service or a replacement of a damaged case/keyboard, which will be more expensive. They case and keyboard have a residual value to Apple if it can be placed back in service with a new battery for the next customer. Any battery/top case/keyboard replacement part is likely to have been refurbished.

If they determine that it's not worth repairing, they'll just return it to you and maybe you can find aftermarket service. If they believe it's ineligible for service based on condition, they'll most likely log the condition in their database, so getting a second opinion at a different location is likely to be useless.

I'll just relay that I fairly recently got a battery replacement service at an Apple Store for my 13" mid-2012 Unibody. No price was listed and this was older, but the battery was in stock at a different Apple Store. I'd actually been unable to power it up at all, but when I showed up for my appointment it was working again. The battery was slightly swollen as it had pushed out the trackpad such that it didn't work well. I did get a call/voice message and when I called back I was told that "hard drive is failing" even though it's an SSD that was in good shape. They did end up repairing it even though there was cosmetic wear. Also - they placed some graphite thermal pad inside, which was kind of messy. But overall they seemed to believe it would be in good working shape afterwards. I'm not sure what they will do if it's not in ideal shape, such as the chassis being bent. They may opt to not repair it in that case, or it may require a top case service, which I noted would be more expensive.

Hi,

Try to open the bottom case and see the battery if it is not "stout".