2011 Macbook Pro Logic Board Failure

Complaining here or asking questions only Apple can answer is not getting you any resolution to your issue. I suggested contacting Apple since contacting them is the only way you may get them to hear you or maybe get them to respond to your complaints. I did not make the suggestion for no reason but rather to try to help you address the issue in the only place it can be resolved.

Thanks for your help and input. Do you have a problem too with a Macbook Pro 2011?? or don't understand why you and Grant Bennet are so eager to redirect others consumers problems? A forum is to express something no? and Complaining or not is just your side of view and I won't make this a point of view, fact is several consumers including myself are having severe and continuous problems with Macbook Pro 2011 which haven been fixed nor resolved by Apple and as consumers you are entitled to get what you paid. If you have a Macbook Pro 2011 and with issues then you know about this and what others as well as me are facing with it. Again, This is about macbook pro 2011 issues unresolved and talked in this thread not for giving instructions to whom to address, we evidently have contacted apple and we evidently have had no solution, otherwise we wouldn't be here talking about it, and not complaining as you say. Complaints are for Courts, and of course at least me im also over there too, don't worry for that aspect on my behalf, I'm not and I'm covering that too

I have a MacBook Pro 2011 model that has worked without issues until late last year. Since my son needs a computer for school, we gave him the one his mom was using and bought her a newer one.

When it was working, and before the program ended, I presented it at an appointment at the Genius bar. They ran VST test, which usually fails in a few minutes if it has the fault covered by the recall program. The VST test ran for the full 15 minutes and passed, so it did not have the fault covered by the recall.

I intend to experiment with gfxcardstatus to see if I can run the computer using only the integrated graphics. At the moment the screen freezes and never goes to the login screen when started from its internal drive, so I need to set up an external drive with the right software and install gfxcardstatus, and then see if it can boot from there.

My computer was tested for defects and did not have the ones Apple was covering. So when it failed, it was not a latent defect, but old age. I have no bad feelings. We got years of use out of it. Having it die suddenly was inconvenient. So is having the car break down. Neither lasts forever.

Yes I have a 2011 MacBook Pro and if I was experiencing your issue I would not waste my time here. I would take the good advice already provided and contact Apple, who can help with the issue if they feel they decide to do so. If you had a problem that we users could help you with we would do so rather than advising you to contact Apple. Why did you come here if you continuously ignore and criticize the advice provided?

Arepoli - your logic and approach regarding the known faulty problems are very reasonable.

Once Apple has acknowledged they have a faulty product and has deemed necessary to provide a replacement for their customers, it is not appropriate to exclude a number customers simply because the fault manifested a few days after an artificial deadline had passed.

Apple is likely just weighting in the costs of a possible class action lawsuit and alienating customers vs the cost of repairing the units. At some point, as the number of people affected by the problem diminishes, the balance in the equation shifts. Apparently the initial turning point was estimated to be Feb-2016, but then was extended to Dec-2016. If enough people are still affected and voicing their dissatisfaction, Apple can choose to extend their coverage again. In addition to private communications, this is also a good forum to raise awareness.

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I have the exact same problem. I bought my Macbook pro back in March 2011 and the logic board has gone 3 times now. The first time was back in 2014 and I paid over £550 for the logic board to be replaced. It then went again 2 months after the first replacement and Apple covered the cost for that repair.

I went to start my Mac up this morning to find the screen green with lines across it. I did some research online and found out that in 2015 Apple had actually submitted a post online stating there was a known fault with the logic boards in the early 2011 macbook pro models. It also stated that they had contacted customers who had paid for logic board repairs to issue a reinbursement. I have never been contacted by apple and was totally unaware of the fault until today.

Following on from the above .. I then contacted apple support, only to be told that I would need to book an appointment at an apple store for them to diagnose the problem. It turns out that the logic board has gone again and they can no longer repair it because my Mac is now 'vintage' and they no longer have the parts needed. I was advised to contact a third party repairer in which I have had no success with.

I am now left with a faulty machine that can no longer be repaired and I can do nothing with. Why did I pay good money for a machine that develops such a serious and expensive fault?

Annoyed is an understatement.

I have the same story. Early Macbook Pro 2011. Replaced logic board in 2015. Dead now. Now that my laptop is "vintage" Apple will not touch it. Repair shop said replacement part is not available. Like others here, I suppose I'm hoping for options.

Hello there, I am having the same exact issues as you, except that I actually paid for a repair about a year ago in London, following that Apple have contacted me stating that my laptop falls under the affected ones therefore I am entitled to a full refund. Unfortunately, 2 months ago the laptop did the same exact thing, but that time Apple are refusing to help me whatsoever! I have tried numerous times to call them, go to store or try anything, their solution was to "find an electronic store that can fix my laptop". their solution actually made me laugh from how absurd it sounds coming from Apple care customer support. did you manage to get any help or any advice you can give me on what to do?

I didn't get any solutions in the end. I pressed an Apple senior advisor over in Ireland and the best he could do is issue a full refund for the repair I paid for back in 2014. Neither Pc World (where I originally bought the MacBook from) or Apple were prepared to give me a replacement due to it falling out of the 6 year consumer law here in the UK (only by a month). In the end I have had to buy a refurbished iMac off Apple.

Hi Areploi,

I wanted to post on here to say that the EXACT same thing you have described has just happened to me. I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro running the latest OS. I was using it as normal to write an email when the screen suddenly turned grey. I immmediately phoned Apple support as this is the first time I've had any issue of this kind with my machine. The advisor helped me through some troubleshooting to reset the SMC and some other settings which worked!! I was so relieved, continued to do some web browsing as per usual when the same issue happened again a few hours later. This time, the reboot and reset SMC did not work and I could not get the computer to boot past the welcome screen (it would load halfway and then turn to grey screen and switch itself off). Last Saturday I managed to get a Genius appointment so they ran a few tests in store and told me the logic board is broken. Unfortunately because my machine is vintage, Apple is not able to do the repair and suggested I look to either a third party repaired or buy a new machine. I have always taken such great care of my MacBook, I couldn't quite believe how it could suddenly switch itself off like this.

I have since read your post online and had no idea that this was a known issue with this series of MacBook Pro, nor did I hear any news about the Apple repair programme (I was never told about it or contacted by Apple because presumably the issue hadn't yet arisen). I'm frustrated to hear that it was a known fault and that Apple are now unwilling to help. I have contacted them directly on their feedback page but doubt I will hear any response back so it looks like I will have to foot the bill and go out to buy another machine (although I would seriously question sticking with Apple again).

If anyone has had any other luck or responses from Apple, please do share. Thanks

I just got back from the Apple Store and was told for a about $600 they could fix my logic board problem...but I should do it quick as Apple won't be making the parts after the end of this month. No mention that this had been a problem and I missed the repair window by a few months...can't blame them there! But now I need to decide if it's worth repairing! I really can't afford to be without a computer for very long!

Apple in Winnipeg, MB Canada said they would not even touch it. A local authorized Apple dealer told me he couldn't even get the part. I'm not prepared to spend at least $3000 to get a newer or new one. Yet.

I do agree though that we should complain to Apple in their Feedback page. I just did, since Apple don't possess a Complaints page. This is the "inspirational" reply I got:

"We cannot respond to you personally, but please know that your message has been received and will be reviewed by the MacBook Pro Team. If we need to follow up with you on your ideas for improving the MacBook Pro, we will contact you directly.

We appreciate your assistance in making the MacBook Pro a great computer."

I've got the same issue here Arepoli. My late-2011 15-Inch Macbook Pro had the same logic board failure in March 2015.

Apple kindly repaired it for free then. It's just happened again, which shows they replaced it with a logic board having the same inferior quality. It's my work laptop too (IT consultant), so I'm really stuck at the moment. My Macbook still looks brand new.

I just went to the Vancouver, BC Apple Store, and they said it'll cost me $750 CAD to repair, using the same type of logic board as before. Since the last replacement logic board died in just over 2 years, I would be reasonable in expecting it to give me 2 more years at most if I chose the repair. Unacceptable, since my Macbook is still spec'd equivalent to the current models they sell now.

Plus my laptop will soon be vintage, which means that Apple won't repair it or have parts after the end of this month.

Am I angry? Yes! Considering I'm typing here on a 9 year-old Sony Vaio, which, along with every other non-Apple computer in my house, has never had a hardware problem. I used to think Apple products were the best, but not anymore. What makes me angry is the fact that even if we pay for the repair, we're still doomed to have at most (in my case) 2 years of a working computer since they will be using the same duff logic board as replacement.

Considering this is a known manufacturing fault, Apple should really retain replacement (or suitable alternative) logic boards for this model for many more years, or offer to buy back the models with this fault at a reasonable price.

I'm looking at my options now. It might include going to my local media to see if that helps with some resolve, since Apple's not listening.

I'm a bit scared of buying a new Macbook model, since their logic boards are even more integrated. Am I right in saying that their logic boards have everything attached (i.e. soldered) to them, including the hard drive? In that case, if it's not possible to separate them, if the logic board goes then you have to bin everything.

I don't know why the class-action lawsuit let Apple offer support only until the end of 2016. It should have been for longer. There's no way my Macbook is vintage. It still matches the Macbooks sold today and more than meets my needs crunching large databases. At the Apple Genius bar I was sat next to a guy who had a working 2008 iPhone. - Why aren't we getting the same?

Perhaps we need to start up the petition again?

Exactly the same thing just happened with me. Had mine replaced in 2015. Initially they werent going to replace it because it was a late 2011 model. It still had the same faulty graphics card as the models that qualified. I gave them a piece of my mind and they eventually caved in and replaced it. So now what the **** do I do with this. A top of the line model with a high res matte screen that still performed exceptionally well. Throw it out and buy another? I'm fuming about this. I rely on it as I'm a photographer with currently no money.