A class action lawsuit filed in Northern California federal court alleges that Apple knowingly sold MacBook Pros that contained display cables destined to fail, in what we and others termed “Flexgate”. The suit also claims Apple intentionally responded with a limited display repair program response that only included a limited number of less-expensive MacBooks, and did not cover the issue with its AppleCare extended warranties.
The suit, filed by the Parris law firm of Lancaster, CA, includes in its proposed class anybody who bought a MacBook Pro in 2016 or later, and asks Apple to expand its free repair coverage to 15-inch models. The filing contains a number of iFixit photos demonstrating the relatively short cables wrapped around the hinged display.
The lead plaintiff in the complaint purchased a $2,500 MacBook Pro in April 2017. By January 2020, the screen was showing the “stage lighting” effect. In March 2020, the plaintiff took his laptop to an Apple Authorized Service Provider, where he was told the issue was not covered under AppleCare and would cost $850 to repair.
As we detailed in early 2019, MacBook Pros, starting with the 2016 “Touch Bar” versions, only started to show issues with their display cables over time.
… [T]he current generation of MacBook Pro laptops (2016–present) uses flexible ribbon cables to connect the display to a display controller board beneath the Touch Bar. These cables wrap over the board, where they’re secured by a pair of spring-loaded covers—and they’re subjected to the stress of bending with every opening and closure of the laptop. Within a seemingly short time, those cables are starting to fatigue and tear. The backlight cable is generally the first to go, producing the infamous “stage light” symptoms, and eventually giving out entirely when the laptop is opened more than about 40°.
As for why repairing this issue out of warranty would cost so much:
in an apparent effort to make the display as thin as possible, Apple designed the cables as part of the display, so they cannot be replaced. This means that when (not if) those cables start to fail, the entire display unit needs to be replaced, as opposed to one or two little cables—effectively turning a $6 problem into a $600 disaster.
In March 2019, we noticed that the newest MacBook Pros had longer display cables. A little over two months later, Apple announced its limited repair program for 13-inch models sold in 2016, though we knew other models were affected.
We have not heard back from Apple on a request for comment on the lawsuit. Should the Parris law firm obtain a settlement or decision in this case, we might suggest including Repair.org or U.S. PIRG as a cy-près beneficiary, given the work the not-for-profit repair community has done in pushing issues of fair repair to the fore.
47 commentaires
So what does tis mean to people with the Mac Book mentioned. Not sure if my Mac Book falls into this category. The screen just does not light up.
Peter
touchavet - Réponse
@Peter - Good Question. Incidentally, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if Apple ends up offering victims of the flex defect, very limited repair options and/or makes the recall impossible to obtain unless owners have their original purchase receipt - Let’s hope the class action prevents this from happening!
Will -
how do i join on the lawsuit
Alan Cardenas Moreno - Réponse
Same question. I want to join too as I own the faulty Macbook pro 2017 model having the same backlight issue.
Chetna Bagga Thareja -
I need to join the class-action lawsuit as they have made my life !&&* for the last 5 years. Please let me know if you find out how to join!
Maria D Dicino -
If you purchased it from Apple, you can always get a copy of your receipt using your Apple ID.
James - Réponse
Copy - is not original purchase receipt…
Mateusz Kruzel -
My MacBook Pro 15’ with Touch-bar (2017) has a similar problem. After working with it for 1 ~ 2 hours, the top of keyboard becomes hot. Then the screen starts flickering or appears black lines even complete black. I need to turn off my MacBook for cooling down.
By the way, his problem doesn't appear during 2017 - 2019 when I usually used this MacBook for 4 -8 hours a day.
JingweiDeng - Réponse
I spent $5000 and when I asked for the silver model all they said was people are liking the darker colour. And I said oh I prefer the silver. (Without knowing the issue!) This cable went in “1 year” for me!! I just got it replaced in October. How do we keep in touch with this? Is this US only? Anything happening in Canada on this?
Tannice - Réponse
I have a Macbook Pro Canadian bought A1707 with bad flexgate, the laptop is sitting in a sleeve for almost 2 years!! I paid around 4k for this POS. The real Apple died with Steve Jobs.
Tahir Yahya -
Ifixit, get over your animosity with Apple !
Let it go Let it go
vulcan - Réponse
Are you an idiot let it go ! These are the same people that profess there is no need for repair shops and demand 5000 for a laptop plus a care program that fixes nothing. The care program that gives you a place in line then still cost you there service charge.
keith black -
how do i join on the lawsuit
German Parra - Réponse
Let me know if you find out how to join the class action lawsuit. They have made my life !&&* with this problem for over five years now. Thank you!
Maria D Dicino -
2016 MBP 13 TB purchased first week with 3 yr AC. No stage light but after 2 years of very light use display would fuzz out sometimes when wake from sleep and only a hard restart reset display. Was told software issue, but a wipe and reinstall didn’t help. Was too busy to follow up before AC expired. But last month display died completely. I read about extended warranty for issue and Apple Fed-Ex’d a shipping box. Sent laptop off on Friday afternoon and had it back Tuesday morning good as new.
Eric Demopoulos - Réponse
What about iPad Pro flex gate? Why no class action lawsuit for that?
Joe King - Réponse
“get over your animosity with Apple’” Really? Ifixit is a great resource and WATCHDOG. Nothing else like ‘em.
Daniel du Maurier - Réponse
This is what probably happened to mine! Cost over $800 to get the screen replaced.
John Burke - Réponse
I had to replace my screen at my own cost. Was not covered by warranty. How do I join lawsuit.
Annie Nagler -
I had the 2011 Macbook Pro which had a class action lawsuit, too. It took so many years for Apple to repair the screen anomalies, even after the laptop was finally repaired by Apple in 2015, it was not useful anymore and had lost so much value. I think the lawsuit should include the period of loss of use/productivity. I finally had to buy a new 2014 MBP just to do work. I believe that in cases like these, Apple should show more integrity and not just acknowledge and fix the issues, but fairly compensate for those times when it’s not in a usable state. A fair compensation would be to replace the laptop with the latest one of equal value or performance and 3 years of warranty. As Steve Jobs said, “we don’t ship junk.” https://youtu.be/Yu0qeb_rJYU
ronnie yeoh - Réponse
… and who’s going to do the repair, Apple? If Apple does the repair, will we get our own machines back or some other repaired ‘equivalent’ machine? Will we get our applications and data back or will we have to ‘Restore’ along with the vagaries that accompany that little fiasco? I can’t wait for my iPhone to fail so that I can justify a new, non-Apple phone. (Seriously considering The Light Phone these days) I hate Windows, but my five-year-old Lenovo has never let me down and there’s nothing wrong with the original battery, unlike a friend’s MacBook that’s on its third battery in the same time period and now he’s looking at a screen/cable replacement
Thomas Daniel - Réponse
Purchases are tracked by serial number so that Apple knows when products are purchased, Don’t worry about receipts if you buy directly from Apple. Serialized product are traceable by Apple (take my word for it, I worked in Apple retail for many years). Had a 17” MBP (2011) that was recalled for screen issue (at that time it was an issue with the graphics chip). Was repaired 3 times by Apple (no charge) before it not longer had the issue. Apple made it as easy as possible for me. First repair done through an Apple Store, when it failed again I worked directly with a Senior Tech via the phone & the following 2 repairs were done via mail in, it was simple and fast. I was provided with the contact information for a Senior Tech who was in charge of my repair. Were satisfactory solution. My 2011 MBP is still working to this day! For anyone who does not take advantage of the TimeMachine app, do it so you always have a backup of everything on your Mac or external drives in case you need to restore anything!
abbeyroad6284 - Réponse
The best way to get a direct answer. Is not a class action cause it will take years ,and do nothing for your claim. Each person should get a confirmation from there credit card company . About the transaction. Then take yourself to small claims in each of your local towns. You can file up to 3-5000. This way Apple has to appear. The judgement is settled locally. Not years!
keith black - Réponse
I am having this problem, but I can't remember where I purchased my laptop. I had a stroke and it affected my memory. So what are my options.I do still have the computer.
Derrick Schramm - Réponse
How can I join in filing a lawsuit?
Evgeniy Masich - Réponse
I’m having the same issue that after 2 years + of purchase, there are few horizontal black lines appear at the bottom part of the display. I have sent to local Apple service provider for diagnosing but end up they refuse the replace the displace for me because there is a slight bend at the corner of my display. I have informed that the bend doesn’t affect the functionality but the ribbon display cable does. End up they ask me to pay for a new display that really !#^&@! me off with buying Apple Care Plus
YC Yang - Réponse
!&&* yeah. Please do cover the 2017 13 inch models too- we are also having the same *!&*^#% issue that Apple is not owning up to.
Jason Jason - Réponse
What do you advise to people suffering from this issue in Europe (15 inch MacBook Pro 2016)? Get it fixed by Apple (650€) and hope for a refund in the future , send it to an independent repair shop in the hope it ends up cheaper, or wait until Apple acknowledges the issue?
apatrick - Réponse
I started facing this same issue with my 15 inch MacBook Pro last night. I was unaware of Flexgate initially, and contacted Apple Mac support and was chatting with one of their staff. Despite them knowing it’s a well known issue (specifically mentioned the 45 degrees angle trigger of the screen blackout), they got me to reset the SMC. And when SMC reset did not work, they told me to reset my NVRAM, which will require a reboot. But, they said I didn’t have to worry as they’ve logged all the issues we talked about under my case ID, and if the issue still persisted, I can simply quote my case ID to their colleague and be able to continue where we left off. And no surprises there, NVRAM reset did not work, so I tried contacting them again. But this time, going to MAC support results in a 403 Forbidden error message. (Part 1)
Alan Chang - Réponse
(Part 2) Multiple tries (different browsers, laptops both MAC and windows, phone, incognito, Cellular network) + 24 hours later, same error message still appeared. Had to resort to going through IPAD support, which worked - got blocked for reporting flexgate related issue, despite not even knowing of flexgate then.
Basically, they couldn’t help, I had to contact a reseller by myself for a repair appointment, and they couldn’t even escalate this issue to their Engineers (which they proposed as the only thing they could do, which the Engineers could then see if this was a recurring issue in other users, and decide if they wanted to include MBP 15 inch in the repair programme), and I had to call the Apple hotline to escalate this to the Engineers by myself. Basically, they’re not going to help. And my warranty had just run out in March, which they could see when they looked at my serial number and device info. So…. let’s hope this class action lawsuit works. We all need our MacBooks to work again. Or a refund.
Alan Chang - Réponse
I am having the same problem with my mac pro. I bought it in 2016 in India.
Pitabas Mohanty - Réponse
Do you know if this includes purple and pink lines covering your entire monitor?
Sonja - Réponse
Why is this lawsuit limited to the 2016 15” models and doesn’t cover other models facing the exact same issue? Also, is it limited to the US or people from across the world can join this lawsuit?
Shivya Sachdeva - Réponse
You’ve just explained why I was able to get my wife’s MacBook Pro repaired free of charge last month! A model A1706, it began with the classic “stage light” effect, then intermittently no display at all. I looked on IFIXIT and found your description of the cause. Then I reported it to Compu-B, Apple’s agent/reseller here in Ireland.
I made sure I mentioned IFIXIT and “Stage Light” and “known issue” in my description of the problem. The result? I didn’t have to pay at all when I collected it, even though the warranty period was long expired. A free out-of-warranty repair from Apple!! Thank you, folks!
Kieran Cagney - Réponse
Weirdly, no one mentions the camera cable, which is the mirror image of the backlight cable, and subject to the same design flaw.
(You can see both cables in the top photo)
In my case, on a MBP 2016 13’’, the camera cable is broken due to flexgate, but since the apple service program only applies if there’s a stagelight effect, I’m not eligible for a free replacement.
To check if you are having the same problem: system information -> camera -> “no camera devices detected”
To really nail down the diagnosis you can use a pentalobe screwdriver, look inside and verify with your own eyes.
Andreas - Réponse
I have the same issue. Repair being denied by Apple.
Stefan van der Eijk -
I have the exact same problem with my Macbook Pro 15-inch bought in 2017. The screen is visible only at an angle of less than 45 degrees. Opening the screen further makes the display switch-off automatically. When will Apple acknowledge this design flaw and cover the Macbook Pro 15-inch also under the repair program just like they did for 13-inch models.
Chetan Shetty - Réponse
It’s an £850 repair here in UK for a 15” late 2016 MBP. Mine stopped working a few days ago unless the screen is cracked open by less than about 45 degrees. Has anyone else had the support that Kieran Cagney got in Ireland?
Michael Perry - Réponse
I have a mcbook pro 2017 that has flexible gate.
sainghay sith - Réponse
I have a 2016 mbp 15” with also flexgate problem , 950 usd for repair. tried to have a deal or something calling apple, they washed their hands after telling them that this is a known issue . 2700 usd computer cost, 400usd apple care 950usd screen repair . 4050 usd dollars in 3 years , for a faulty computer and repairs that are repaired with faulty parts . this is not a solution. I will just put this laptop on a drawer and wait till apple recall it. Will never buy apple again.
gonzalogrillo - Réponse
I’m having the same problem… What should I do?
M Rahman - Réponse
How do join on this lawsuit ? I have a 2016 15inch MacBook Pro that has the same problems .
mbanuelos59@yahoo.com - Réponse
Today my a1707 also broke. As soon as the display is opened more than 90°, the screen goes black. I probably can't expect the 15" Macbooks to ever be repaired for free. Buying a new display would apparently only fix the problem for a few years. After 15 years of Macbooks, it is probably unfortunately time to change.
P.S. The laptop was bought in Germany.
n1klas - Réponse
Can I also install newer displays with the longer cable to get the problem under control in the long term?
n1klas -
Anyone know how to join this lawsuit as they have come in a vicious cycle with screen defects & they charge even with Apple Care on the piece of crap MacBook Pros.
njgop1 - Réponse
I have same issue today i visit to Applr studio they told me it was for 5 year and your mac have 5 year 5 month old so you have to pay for new screen.
Please any one have solution that apple fix it free of cost please help me
Muhammad Shafiullah - Réponse
I have this problem as well I contacted Apple they said there is nothing they can do there excuse was its a vintage and have no spare parts, I don't know what should I do now
Karim Al-Mansi - Réponse