The program has been extended from four to to five years after the first retail sale of the unit, or three years from the start date of the program, whichever is longer.
You can initiate the repair process by visiting the Get Support page on Apple’s website.
Additional Time to Repair Your Notebook
Uneven backlighting on some MacBook Pros released in 2016 and 2017 was first discovered by iFixit. The repair site chalked it up to a much thinner display-related flex cable than before. With repeated closing and opening of the lid, the delicate cable wears out quickly.
iFixit commented:
In its pursuit of thinness, Apple has designed the cables as part of the display, meaning they cannot be individually replaced. And when they start to fail, the entire display unit needs to be replaced. This “turns a $6 problem into a $600 disaster,” as iFixit succinctly noted.
The media has dubbed this design oversight on Apple’s part “Flexgate”.
Very Delicate Ribbon Cables
For those wondering, Apple uses flexible ribbon cables in notebooks to connect the display to a display controller board beneath the Touch Bar. Following iFixit’s discoveries, the company has successfully mitigated the issue by incorporating a 2mm longer flex cable in the MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2018 and later.
Display backlight on the affected Apple notebooks may continuously or intermittently show vertical bright areas along the entire bottom of the screen. It may also stop working completely, Apple notes in a support document on its website.
Is Your MacBook Pro Eligible for Free Repair?
Eligible 13-inch MacBook Pros include models with two and four Thunderbolt 3 ports. You can identify your computer’s model and see if it is eligible for this program by selecting the option “About This Mac” from the Apple menu. If your MacBook Pro was affected by this issue, and you paid to have it serviced, Apple will reimburse you.
Last year, AppleInsider reported on a nationwide class-action lawsuit that was lodged against Apple, accusing the company of knowing about a defect with the flex cable. The complaint also claims that Apple has willingly opted not to do anything about the problem.
“Apple was aware of the issues with the backlight screen and the defective flex cable, in light of the comments posted by consumers on Apple’s discussion forum and that those comments were deleted after they were posted,” the lawsuit reads.
