Why does my MacBook Pro 2017 overheat and shut down with battery still remaining?

Mohammadhussain544 wrote:

Thank you for the insights. Based on the cycle count (around 750), it seems the battery is likely nearing the end of its life.

You're welcome.

Apple batteries have a 1,000 charge cycle count expected lifespan so that is getting up there. However, the age of the battery plays a huge part as well. Plus if the laptop is connected to the charger a lot, then the charge cycles will be lower than someone who uses the battery on battery power every day. Other things can play a part as well.

Normally I like to keep older computers alive as long as possible (I still use some from 2007/8 era), but these 2016-2020 Apple USB-C Intel laptops just cannot be trusted since they have so many potential issues that make them so risky to invest any money in them which is unfortunate.

Although macOS reports the battery condition as “Normal,” I suspect it may indeed be failing. I agree with your assessment — I wouldn’t invest in a replacement either. This laptop is technically my dad’s, and while it has served us well, it will eventually be outdated. Given the £200 cost for a new battery, combined with past issues such as circuit board repairs and the occasional random shutdown, I believe it’s not worth further investment. I’m considering selling or replacing it, although it probably won’t sell for much due to its current condition.

When you retire this laptop whether to recycle or sell, make sure to follow all the steps in the following Apple article so you disconnect your accounts from the laptop & remove the data from the laptop so the next person who acquires the laptop doesn't get access to the data on the internal SSD.

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

If kernel_task is using a large percentage of your Mac CPU - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102172

My guess is that your fans and heat sinks are clogged with dust/pollen/smoke particles and need to be cleaned.

Battery may be wearing out or actually failing. What does macOS report for the Battery Condition. Is it "Normal" or "Service Recommended"? If it is "Service Recommended", then the battery is most likely the problem. Unfortunately Apple changed something in a macOS/firmware update near the end of 2024 which has changed how/when macOS shows a "Service Recommended" condition. I have batteries that should easily show "Service Recommended", but still show as "Normal"....even the Apple Diagnostics will pass them now when previously the battery would have failed or shown as "Service Recommended".

If you have never had the Top Case/Keyboard Assembly or Battery replaced before, then your battery is definitely wearing out or even failing at this point after 7 years of use. Most Lithium batteries need replaced sometime between 3 - 5 years on average.

Personally I don't recommend spending any money of any of the 2016-2020 Intel USB-C Macs for multiple reasons. The money spent on repairs is better put towards a new laptop. A battery replacement is one of those borderline acceptable repairs assuming everything else on the laptop is 100% and the battery is likely to solve the problem. Unfortunately the 2017 model has a lot of known & also some not so well known issues that you may not even know exist.

Also, ignore the battery information shown on the login screen since it is most times incorrect.

This Apple article is very useful regarding managing notebook computer temperatures:

Keep your Mac laptop within acceptable operating temperatures - Apple Support

Your Macbook Pro has cold air intakes at the poit where the bottom plate meets the main chassis. Example viewed from the bottom:

Hot air is expelled through the hinge area. Those areas must never be blocked. Be very careful about your workstation arrangement.

Fans are thermostatically controlled by heat sensors on important components. Fans run all the time but are supposed to ramp up if extra heat is detected to protect the computer.

Things other than venting that can run up temps enough to trigger the fans:

— Gaming

— video streaming or video-conferencing

— useless after-market utilities that claim to protect and/or clean your Mac

— Some browsers. Chrome typically requires more resources than FireFox or Safari and therefore the computer may run hotter.

— Independent of browser, some web pages can demand huge resources. A classic example are sales sites. If you leave a page with a "Buy Now" or "Add to Cart" button open, even in the background, temps may rise fast. I can produce that at will on several of my Macs, devoid any useless cr@pware, by leaving a page from the Apple online store open to an "Add to Bag" page.

Fan-powered "chill pads" do little good with Uni-body Mac notebooks (~2008-9 or newer) that no longer use the case bottom for heat dissipation.