Apple's 2015 MacBook Pro: 432,000 batteries recalled for fire risk

What happened

Why it happened

• A flagship laptop's battery shipped with a design that could overheat: 26 reports, five burns and one smoke inhalation later, 432,000 US owners were told to stop using it.
• The remedy grounded a $2,000 machine until a free battery swap — the recall turned a reliable workhorse into a "do not use" notice.
• The serial-number check meant Apple knew exactly which units were bad — the recall was a design decision walked back in public, at repair-program scale.

Aftermath

CPSC recall 19-152, announced June 27, 2019, covered about 432,000 MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) units in the US and 26,000 in Canada. Apple received 26 overheating reports: five minor burns, one smoke inhalation and 17 cases of minor property damage. Owners were told to stop using the laptops immediately and to contact Apple for a free battery replacement via Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple Retail Stores or mail-in service; eligibility was checked by serial number. In August 2019 the FAA banned the recalled models from passenger flights.