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A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday claims Apple was aware of a MacBook Pro design flaw that caused some units to exhibit backlight display issues.
Filed with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the action targets the so-called “stage light” or “flexgate” issue featured in MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2016 and 2017.
Discovered in 2018, the problem manifests as dark spots that cross the bottom of the screen of an impacted MacBook Pro, resembling light installations commonly seen on a theater stage. Some users have reported that opening their MacBook Pro’s screen beyond a certain angle makes the screen non-functional.
Independent repair company iFixit investigated the ‘stage light’ effect in early 2019 and traced the problem to a flexible cable that runs between the display and a controller on the motherboard below the touch bar on the MacBook Pro . According to the lawsuit, these flexible cables were faulty and would deteriorate over time when the connected display was opened and closed.
Following initial reports of the “light on the stage” effect, a host of complaints claiming similar issues surfaced on social media, blogs, a Change.org petition and Apple’s support forums.
While Apple eventually rolled out a repair program covering 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro models, the company did not include Pros and 15-inch models produced after 2016 that faced identical issues. Additionally, the tech giant delayed releasing the repair program “despite knowing and should have known” the root cause of the problem.
Before the repair program, homeowners were forced to pay out of pocket for costly repairs. As the flex cable was an integral part of the display, correcting “stage light” often required replacing the entire display.
Apple hasn’t revealed when it first recognized complications with the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros, but the variants unveiled in 2018 included a longer display flex cable in an apparent attempt to fix the issue.
“Apple was aware of the issues with the backlight screen and defective flex cable, in light of comments posted by consumers on Apple’s discussion board and that those comments were removed after posting,” the lawsuit says .
The class action lawsuit alleges violation of unfair competition laws in various states, the Song-Beverly consumer warranty law, the Magnuson-Moss warranty law, and consumer fraud laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent concealment and unjust enrichment are also invoked.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, court costs and a judgment requiring Apple to identify and report all faulty MacBook Pro laptops, among other remedial measures.
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