Apple Announces Free Logic Board Repairs for Some 2018 MacBook Airs

It seems that Apple is having a bad month for at least some of its MacBooks. A couple of weeks ago, Apple announced a major recall for its 2015-era 15-inch MacBook Pro, noting that due to defective batteries, some might present a fire risk. After government agencies posted their own safety recall notices, it because apparent that nearly half-a-million MacBook Pros were impacted by the recall, despite Apple’s claims that only “a limited number” of units contained the suspect battery. While only a relatively small number of actual incidents were reported — 27 to be exact — it’s still a serious problem and Apple has decided to proactively offer free battery replacements.

Now, although it’s not nearly as serious of a problem, it seems that Apple is also having issues with last year’s 2018 MacBook Air. In this case, the MacBooks aren’t at risk of bursting into flames, but are instead plagued by internal logic board problems seemingly related to power management.

According to a report by 9to5Mac, Apple has sent out an internal memo to repair staff announcing that it has identified an issue with the main logic board in “a very small number” of MacBook Air models, telling staff to replace the logic boards in those affected MacBooks at no charge to customers.

Specifically, the internal document says that the problem impacts Retina, 13-inch, 2018 MacBook Air models with certain serial numbers. Apple also adds that it will be emailing customers who have machines that match those serial numbers to let them know about the issue and suggest that they bring their computers in for a free repair.

However, anybody with a 2018 MacBook Air who is encountering problems can bring it into a local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider to have it checked out, and if it matches the list of affected devices, receive a free logic board replacement.

The documents sent to repair staff don’t provide a lot of detail on what the issue in question is, simply listing symptoms as issues with “power” but failing to elaborate on what problems users might be seeing. 9to5Mac notes that an online search shows several reports of users having problems with their machines unable to power on at all, so this might be the issue in question.

Notably, Apple has not publicly announced the program, although again those with affected systems should be receiving an email directly from Apple Support. It’s not certain whether it will appear on Apple’s Exchange and Repair Extension Programs site where recall and service programs are typically listed. Not all programs appear on this site, particularly if they only impact a small number of systems, but it’s also unclear how Apple decides what to include here.

Apple notes that the program will be available for affected machines for up to four years from the original purchase date, so it will extend beyond the original warranty period. Hence if you’re a 2018 MacBook Air owner and not experiencing problems right now, you don’t need to be in any rush to have your computer checked out, although you can certainly choose to be proactive and talk to someone at your local Apple Store if you think your device might be on the list.