Power Supply was just on fire!?!?!?

[gekrecords]

OMG!

I called Apple yesterday because my magsafe adapter wasn't charging my MacBookPro. There seemed to be a bit of charring on one of the pins on the power adapter side of the magsafe connector (the side with the LED).

The problem was intermittent, and they told me to try cleaning the contacts, which I did... but it would still only charge every once in a while. They are sending me another power supply now, but I didn't think, nor did they tell me not to use it.

Well, i just took my MBP out of my bag, and plugged it in... and it worked. Then I smell something burning, and I look at the power brick itself, and there is literally a flame coming from the cable, and my carpet is smoking too right there.

What should I do here? Am I wrong to think that I am entitled to a little something more than being without my computer till April 6th while they mail me a power supply?

I mean, heck, my house could have burned down if I didn't catch it..

 

[cwa107]

This is unfortunately, not an isolated incident. I've read about several other cases where if the cable jacket is damaged, resulting in a short, the cord or the adapter will catch fire. Did you happen to notice if the cable was damaged while you were troubleshooting the original problem of the adapter only intermittently charging?

Either way, if you read the reviews of the MagSafe adapter on the Apple Store website, you'll see plenty of cases of this sort of thing happening. My guess is that the jacket is just not robust enough to handle the bumps and bruises of regular travel and/or rigorous usage. It is definitely a design flaw and my hope would be that Apple would compensate you in some way for the damage.

I use my Mac at both work and at home, so this was a deciding factor for me in whether to purchase a second adapter so that I wasn't constantly having to travel with it and wrap up the cable.

I'm glad to hear that your home wasn't damaged and that the fire was relatively isolated.

 

[eric]

i've heard these sorts of stories too. i treat mine as gently as i treat my macbook itself.

 

[PowerBookG4]

mine was frayed on the mag safe end... and to prevent a fire I stopped using it when I noticed it... called apple (it was still functioning though) and told them about it... this was about 8pm EST they said they would send me a new one by 10am EST the next day I had a new one at my door. I would call apple and ask them to expedite your order to tell them that you are now with out any power and see what they will do for you.

 

[kgeier82]

im wondering how long apple will wait to replace everyones magsafe.

seems like its name should be changed at least, the "magunsafe"

i think ill start putting my brick on a desk. dont want the carpet to go.

 

[cwa107]

im wondering how long apple will wait to replace everyones magsafe.

seems like its name should be changed at least, the "magunsafe"

i think ill start putting my brick on a desk. dont want the carpet to go.

I would say just keep an eye on the cable. If you have pets that like to chew on cords, keep them away from it. And if you see any cracks or splits in the jacket, stop using it.

I do wish that Apple would come out with an updated design that has a much heavier duty cable jacket.

 

[stevenyc]

Will they make a commercial in which Justin Long catches on fire?

 

[gekrecords]

We were troubleshooting the original problem, the charring on the magsafe end, and the periodic non-charging.

They never told me not to use the adapter again.

I called them today, and after sitting through a 1.5 hour question answering session, they said that they would call me back within 4 hours.

It has been about 3.5 hours now, and I am not happy at all.

What a shame, I have been a loyal apple user since OS9 days. I was hoping this wouldn't happen to me, I didn't want to be forced to believe the fire horror stories.

 

[todd51]

Wow, that sucks, if mine ever caught fire it woudl burn the whole house down since it's behind my desk and I can't see it...not to mention i'm not home half of the time (at school doing work) and all my roomates are usually upstairs.

Scary stuff, I guess all I can do is just hope it doesn't happen. Actually I think i'm going to move my adater on top of a tub so it's not on the carpet.

 

[Smell The Glove]

As somebody who is looking to purchase the MBP, this is one big concern for me. I travel all the time and it's not unusual at all for me to leave my laptop plugged in overnight or while I go out for lunch/dinner. Last thing I need is to set fire to the house or hotel.

 

[xstep]

The few reports I've seen on this issue, the people involved have not explained how they unplug the cord from the laptop. Do they have a habit of pulling on the cord or do they firmly disconnec using the hard plastic shell. Pulling on the cord is asking for trouble.