Apple Initiates Repair Program for 2011-2013 MacBook Pros With Video Issues

Apple has launched a repair program to fix MacBook Pro machines sold between February 2011 and February 2013 that have problems with distorted video, no video, or unexpected system restarts.

As of February 20 in the United States and Canada (February 27 in other countries), users with affected machines will be able to visit an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to receive repairs for their MacBook Pros at no charge. Customers will be able to bring their MacBook Pro to an Apple Store or service provider or send it in via mail for repairs.

macbook_pro_video_repair

An affected MacBook Pro may display one or more of the following symptoms:
-Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
-No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
-Computer restarts unexpectedly

Affected products include 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2011 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models manufactured between Mid 2012 and Early 2013. Users can see whether their computers are affected by using the "Check Your Coverage" tool on Apple's site.

Apple is contacting customers who already paid to have their machines repaired either through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to arrange a reimbursement. The company asks customers who paid for a repair for the issue and did not receive an email to contact Apple.

Apple will provide repairs until February 27, 2016, or three years from the MacBook's original date of sale, depending on which coverage period is longer.

Some early and late-2011 MacBook Pro owners with discrete graphics cards have been experiencing GPU failures and crashes for years now, causing screen glitches and image distortion, among other problems.

MacBook owners petitioned Apple to begin a repair program for the machines on change.org and even went as far as filing a class action lawsuit after an extended period of time without a repair program.

macbook_pro_2011_graphics_issue
The lawsuit asked that Apple acknowledge that an issue exists and repair affected machines, which the company appears to be prepared to do with the launch of today’s repair program covering both repairs and reimbursements for repairs already made. It is unclear how the new program will affect the class-action lawsuit brought against Apple by 2011 MacBook Pro owners.

(Thanks, Philip!)

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

Traverse Avatar
106 months ago
Once again Apple demonstrates why they are the leader of the pack when it comes to tacking care of their customers. This is why we love Apple. This is what the Sony's of the world just don't get selling high-end devices but providing lousy support and aftercare.
Umm, not a leader. A leader would have acknowledged the problem when the problem started to occur. They've waited too long and I assume many people have already ditched their failed systems and purchased new ones.

And, if all they're doing is replacing the logic board, that won't fix the problem. My fixed logic board died after three weeks or so.
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
venom600 Avatar
106 months ago
Once again Apple demonstrates why they are the leader of the pack when it comes to taking care of their customers.
Are you delusional? They denied it for years and only just now did it after being hit with multiple class action lawsuits. That's not first class service, it's a move to avoid getting a huge settlement thrown at them in court.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danielsamuels Avatar
106 months ago
Once again Apple demonstrates why they are the leader of the pack when it comes to taking care of their customers. This is why we love Apple. This is what the Sony's of the world just don't get selling high-end devices but providing lousy support and aftercare.

Not at all. We've had 4-5 MBPs come down with this issue, it's cost us ~£600 every time. Think we'll see any of that back? Not a chance. They've denied it's been their problem for years. Where was the world class service then?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
l.a.rossmann Avatar
106 months ago
Once again Apple demonstrates why they are the leader of the pack when it comes to taking care of their customers. This is why we love Apple.
This is a joke. Apple has been raping customers charging them to repair their own defective junk for almost four years now! These have been failing since 2012. I had to upgrade from a standard rework station to a $8000 semi automatic optical alignment BGA rework machine just to keep up with the amount of these that were coming in everyday with the same problem.

Only now in 2015 does Apple acknowledge it and they are considered a "leader"? After people gave up on their machine? After people paid for repeated repairs that resulted in the same failure, gave up, and moved onto other machines? After they wrote off their $2000 investment as junk?

The real question here is how many people are going to get turned away because of bumps in the case, liquid damage stickers turned red because of humidity, or "yeah, this isn't a video issue because we can't boot into the ASD disk we use to confirm it's a video issue" BS like in 2008!

I LOVED how they said "we can't run diagnostics therefore we can't tell it's a video issue" when the GPU FAILING KEPT THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO RUN DIAGOSTICS!!!

I am curious to see how this plays out. I hope it works out well for users, but I have little hope.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Traverse Avatar
106 months ago
Once again, do you have the actual numbers?

No I do not. But with large threads (both in size and number) on both Macrumors and Apple Discussions, a petition that gathered several thousand signatures, the attempted class action lawsuit, and now Apple's acknowledgement more than makes up for that in my opinion.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
106 months ago
How did Apple deny anything? Do you have access to AppleCare repair numbers and failure rates?

I've got two numbers for you.

2015 - 2011 = 4 years

Embarrassing.

Why you seem to be concerned with any other numbers is beyond me.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:06 am PDT by
Following nearly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 is expected to be released to the public as soon as this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Some Apple Employees Seriously Concerned About Mixed-Reality Headset as Announcement Draws Closer

Sunday March 26, 2023 8:25 am PDT by
Some Apple employees are concerned about the usefulness and price point of the company's upcoming mixed-reality headset, The New York Times reports. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane Initial enthusiasm around the device at the company has apparently become skepticism, according to eight current and former Apple employees speaking to The New York Times. The change of tone...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Gurman: iOS 17 to Provide Several 'Most Requested Features'

Sunday March 26, 2023 6:05 am PDT by
Apple changed the strategy for iOS 17 later in its development process to add several new features, suggesting that the update may be more significant than previously thought, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In January, Gurman said that iOS 17 could be a less significant update than iPhone updates in previous years due to the company's intense focus on its long-awaited mixed-reality...
apple tv 4k red image

Apple Releases tvOS 16.4 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

Monday March 27, 2023 10:00 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3. The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update....
Steve Jobs Theater dusk

Apple Reportedly Demoed Mixed-Reality Headset to Executives in the Steve Jobs Theater Last Week

Sunday March 26, 2023 5:53 am PDT by
Apple showcased its mixed-reality headset to the company's top 100 executives in the Steve Jobs Theater last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the "momentous gathering" is a "key milestone" ahead of the headset's public announcement planned for June. The event was intended to rally Apple's top members of...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...