Apple Offering Free Repair of 2011-13 MacBook Pros With Faulty GPUs

Beginning in 2011 owners of the Apple MacBook Pro have reported issues with their laptops experiencing a wide range of graphical errors. These issues reportedly stemmed from a possibly defective AMD GPU and ranged from distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen, no video on the screen (or external display) even though the computer is on and even unexpected restarts.

These complaints eventually lead to the filling of a class-action lawsuit, alleging Apple’s 2011 MacBook Pro might be suffering from GPU issues Apple failed to acknowledge. While the lawsuit still appears to be pending Apple has decided to take preemptive action and has just launched a MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program to provide out-of-warranty repairs for MacBook Pros and Retina MacBook Pros sold between February of 2011 and December of 2013.

An Apple spokesperson says "we've found that a small percentage of MacBook Pro models sold between February 2011 and December 2013 may exhibit video issues and we will repair those systems free of charge. We are contacting customers who paid for a repair through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to arrange a reimbursement."

Owners of MacBooks sold within the time frame can use the "Check your Coverage" tool on the Apple Support site to determine if your MacBook Pro model matches the list of affected products. If repair is need them you can either take you device to an Apple store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or it can be mailed back to Apple for free repair.

For those that have already paid to have their MacBook repaired Apple says it is those contacting customers to arrange reimbursement.  If you have not been contacted, but paid for a repair that you think was due to this issue, Apple suggests you contact them directly.

The repair programs gets underway starting February 27th and will only cover affected MacBook Pro models until February 27, 2016 or three years from its original date of sale, whichever provides longer coverage for you.


Source: Apple, Apple Coverage Checker