“Flexgate” class action lawsuit over defective MacBook Pro screens dismissed by judge

Class Action Lawsuit Facing Apple Over “Flexgate” Issues Affecting MacBook Pro Displays Dismissed By California Federal Judge, Reports Law360.

Filed in May 2020, the lawsuit accused Apple of knowingly covering up an alleged flex cable display flaw affecting certain 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. The judge in charge of the case said that since the defect appeared after the warranty period, Apple was under no obligation to disclose it because it was not a safety issue.

Although the lawsuit was dismissed, the judge authorized its modification. Complainants will need to include an argument that the “Flexgate” issue was a security hazard, as well as provide evidence that Apple “knew for sure that the alleged defect would occur.”

The ‌Flexgate‌ issue plagued MacBook Pro models released in 2016 and 2017, some of which started showing uneven lighting at the bottom of the screen after a few years. This “stage light” effect could lead to a complete failure of the backlighting system.

The iFixit repair site discovered that the problem was caused by a delicate flex cable that tended to wear out and break after repeatedly opening and closing the screen.

Apple updated the display flex cable design with the 2018 MacBook Pro and launched a free repair program in May 2019 that covered 13-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016 onwards.

The now-dismissed class action lawsuit sought compensation for all costs attributable to repairing or replacing affected MacBook Pro models, and it called on Apple to expand the free repair program to cover 15-inch MacBook Pro models.