by Kate Kozuch
On June 20, Apple announced a voluntary recall of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units sold between September 2015 and February 2017, which contain a battery that may overheat and pose a fire safety risk. The affected devices can be identified by their product serial number.
Today (June 27) the US Consumer Product Safety Commission published a report explaining that MacBook Pro recall totals "about" 460,000 units, with 26,000 of those MacBook Pros sold in Canada. Its report, issued in conjunction with Health Canada, states Apple received "26 reports of the laptop’s battery overheating, including five reports of minor burns and one report of smoke inhalation, as well as 17 reports of minor damage to nearby personal property."
Apple is asking customers to shut down affected MacBook Pro units until they can take the proper steps to get their batteries replaced. If you own any models, visit apple.com/support/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall for details on product eligibility and how to get a battery replacement, free of charge. All other 15-inch MacBook Pro units and Mac notebooks are not affected by the recall.
Earlier this month, a video from musician White Panda went viral on Reddit and Twitter showing a burnt MacBook Pro after it caught fire and exploded. The device, a 2015 MacBook Pro with a 15-inch Retina display, was allegedly operating under normal conditions. It’s unknown if the ignition is related to this recall.
We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
