My 2018 MacBook Pro 15" is dead

Question

MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2018

Released in July 2018, the 15" MacBook Pro, model A1990, features a 15.4 inch LED-Backlight display with True Tone technology, TouchID, and up to 6 Core i9 Processor.

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Dave @lowkeyuser

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Mha 6, 2019

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My 2018 MacBook Pro 15" is dead

I have a 9 month old Macbook pro 15” with touch bar. I went on a 2 week vacation, and when I returned the computer did not power up. I charged it before I left and put it away.

I tried all the things I found online to reset the machine, but nothing. I tried charging all 4 ports, but nothing. It is not just the screen, there really is no sign of life.

I tried to charge my phone through a dongle, but while there seems to be power, the phone does not charge but I do not know if this is normal when the computer is off. I hooked up my 12” Macbook to the charger, and there is power, but I’m thinking perhaps not enough?

If there are no other solutions to try to force start the machine, the logic board must be dead somehow. (Which is still weird because this machine has never left my house and does not move much inside either).

This is a $3500 machine, and I have never had any issues with the multiple Macs I have owned.

Because it has been more than 2 weeks since I last used the machine, I cannot recall if I did anything in particular before I shut it down.

Help!?

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I had the same problem. My MacBook Pro 2018 was running when the screen froze, 5 seconds later it shutdown and now it does not start anymore. I took to an authorised apple service. They identified swollen batteries and dead logic board. I bought this machine in April 2019; it has been used for 19 months only. The batteries are under quality program and they can be replaced with no cost. However, I will have to pay for the logic board. I am disappointed with this outcome. I have owned other apple equipment that were durable and reliable. I expected that the MacBook Pro 2018 would meet the same quality profile as the other apple machines. I am very sad to see lots of people complaining about the same problem.

crwdns2934271:0N'w 27, 2020crwdnd2934271:0 Murilo Pereira de Almeida crwdne2934271:0

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Dave @lowkeyuser

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Dzi 19, 2020

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It turned out to be a dead logic board, which was replaced under warranty. The battery was fine. Luckily I had a time machine back-up so I didn’t lose any data.

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Did Apple give any explanations ?

I am having the same problem. My MBP is dead. No reason. Didn’t turn on one morning. It was barely 18 months old. No warranty. I might have to shell out a ton of money for a new logic board. But what’s the guarantee that issue won’t reappear. There has to be some explanation for it. It is so frustrating. I had no backups for my data either. Can’t believe Apple products would do this .

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 5, 2020crwdnd2934271:0 hiral thakkar crwdne2934271:0

Hi, I'm also having the same problem. It happened TWICE with me!!! And in my case was so weird. I was CHARGING my mac and leaving it on, but then the screen suddenly flickered and died??? I tried to reset whatever and it wasnt working?? I've changed the logic board so it's new. Absolutely no contact with liquid. It was working perfectly the seconds before and now it died suddenly. The battery wasnt low because I was charging it. What's going on with these 2018 pros???

crwdns2934271:0Kho 25, 2021crwdnd2934271:0 Myra crwdne2934271:0

I have this exact problem. Some how my Mac just wont start up. It was at 100% when I decided just to restart the computer just as a regular thing. What ended up happening to you? Would love some advice.

crwdns2934271:0Dzi 19, 2020crwdnd2934271:0 Mark crwdne2934271:0

Same problem. Macbook Pro Touchbar 15” 2018 went dead after 19 months. No power, so no data retrieval! Apple quote for a system board (I think) is $815. Apple quality should be better than this.

crwdns2934271:0Kho 24, 2020crwdnd2934271:0 Jimmy D crwdne2934271:0

Hi what did you do about your issue ? I am having the same problem. My MBP is dead after barely using it. Did Apple give you any explanations? Surely , “the logic board is fried” isn’t a good enough explanation. These are really expensive machines. Need to know what the issue is.

crwdns2934271:0Ndz 5, 2020crwdnd2934271:0 hiral thakkar crwdne2934271:0

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crwdns2934285:0crwdne2934285:0

I had the same problem. My MacBook Pro 2018 was running when the screen froze, 5 seconds later it shutdown and now it does not start anymore. I took to an authorised apple service. They identified swollen batteries and dead logic board. I bought this machine in April 2019; it has been used for 19 months only. The batteries are under quality program and they can be replaced with no cost. However, I will have to pay for the logic board. I am disappointed with this outcome. I have owned other apple equipment that were durable and reliable. I expected that the MacBook Pro 2018 would meet the same quality profile as the other apple machines. I am very sad to see lots of people complaining about the same problem. — Murilo Pereira de Almeida
Did Apple give any explanations ?

I am having the same problem. My MBP is dead. No reason. Didn’t turn on one morning. It was barely 18 months old. No warranty. I might have to shell out a ton of money for a new logic board. But what’s the guarantee that issue won’t reappear. There has to be some explanation for it. It is so frustrating. I had no backups for my data either. Can’t believe Apple products would do this . — hiral thakkar
Hi, I'm also having the same problem. It happened TWICE with me!!! And in my case was so weird. I was CHARGING my mac and leaving it on, but then the screen suddenly flickered and died??? I tried to reset whatever and it wasnt working?? I've changed the logic board so it's new. Absolutely no contact with liquid. It was working perfectly the seconds before and now it died suddenly. The battery wasnt low because I was charging it. What's going on with these 2018 pros??? — Myra
I have this exact problem. Some how my Mac just wont start up. It was at 100% when I decided just to restart the computer just as a regular thing. What ended up happening to you? Would love some advice. — Mark
Same problem. Macbook Pro Touchbar 15” 2018 went dead after 19 months. No power, so no data retrieval! Apple quote for a system board (I think) is $815. Apple quality should be better than this. — Jimmy D
Hi what did you do about your issue ? I am having the same problem. My MBP is dead after barely using it. Did Apple give you any explanations? Surely , “the logic board is fried” isn’t a good enough explanation. These are really expensive machines. Need to know what the issue is. — hiral thakkar

score 0 · Answer 1 · 2019-08-06T19:14:16-07:00

Dan @danj

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Mha 6, 2019

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You likely ran the battery to the bitter end. At this point you’ll need a in-line voltage Amp meter to see if the system is even accepting a charge. Here is one example of the tool you’ll need Power Meter Tester for USB-C Devices

Be prepared in needing a new battery here is the guide on what will need to be done to get to it MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2018 Battery Replacement Presently iFixit does not offer the battery for your series.

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Hi, thanks for your reply. I do find it hard to believe that the battery went dead, since I powered off the device, and was only gone for 2 weeks. The battery only had about 31 cycles, so was basically new. I have had numerous other MacBooks that I left powered off sometimes for much longer periods of time, and never had that issue. The only issue that I had with this MacBook was that a few times, I had to plug the charger cable into a different port to charge.

crwdns2934271:0Mha 7, 2019crwdnd2934271:0 Dave crwdne2934271:0

The issue is you can't really shut down the system like you think! You need to follow these steps to correctly shut down your system:

● You must disable your Mac's Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide or follow the abbreviated instructions below to disable Auto Boot.

● Power on your Mac and launch Terminal.

● Copy and paste the following command (or type it exactly) into Terminal:

sudo nvram AutoBoot=%00

● Press [return]. If prompted, enter your administrator password and press [return] again. Note: Your return key may also be labeled ⏎ or "enter."

This is the only way to fully turn off your system with the newer 2016 onward MacBook Pro's.

crwdns2934271:0Mha 7, 2019crwdnd2934271:0 Dan crwdne2934271:0

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MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2018

My 2018 MacBook Pro 15" is dead

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