Chosen Solution
Basically today I was using my macbook pro and the screen suddenly started flickering green and pink horizontal lines and sometimes it shows a big vertical line when open or close the lid and also the vertical lines appear in different background, I take good care of my tech so i didn’t hit or drop my macbook pro, I’m a full time student and my Macbook Pro warranty expired like 15 days ago, I don’t have money to repair it and there is no Apple Store in the country that i am right now so I can’t get it diagnosed officially by Apple. In this picture you will find some of the horizontal lines
In this picture you will find the big vertical stripe that appears when i open or close the lid
In this one it shows more of the lines like the ones of the first picture but this appear on black background which it is very weird
And in this video you are going to notice some random green and pink dots that flashes very fast in the same place of the big vertical stripe.
Note: I already reset PRAM and SMC, and started safe mode with no luck. I connected the macbook pro to an external display and it works great so GPU is good. Please help me, thanks in advance. UPDATE: So the stripe is not appearing anymore but the horizontal lines still appear in certain backgrounds it really depend on the colors that are being shown in the screen being black and white the ones that provoke the lines most.
The link Kevin posted aimed you to had to do with the backlight having issues. In your case there is a different set of cables which carry the video signal. But I don’t think thats your issue ;-{ Here you have two different issues the first are the artifacts on the screen. This is caused by stale information still held in the VRAM buffer which corrupts the screen image with the horizontal lines and blurs. The second is the more troubling one as the vertical bar is a display failure! This often happens when the lid received a bang or crushed so the fragile connections to the LCD panel gets damaged. This is where the flexible cables are bonded to the glass LCD panel often called a TAB error. Basically, the bonding had broken free sometimes there is enough tension to hold the connection together so it will sometimes work and then not. Here’s a deeper view of your screens connections between the display assembly and the T-CON board. It’s possible the video signal cables could be damaged as well. I haven’t seen the vertical bar condition in this series yet. Unlike the older models the T-CON board was within the lid its self here it’s been moved to the main case location.
Now the bad news somehow you need to get your system to Apple ASAP as Apple might repair it under warranty as you are so close to the cutoff point. You will likely need to do some groveling and if that fails push the issue up the food chain to get someone to cave-in. If that fails OUCH! As you are looking at least a new display assembly and maybe a new logic board as well each is about $700 USD. I would check your bag to see if you placed something in it which pressed on the lid so when you placed something heavy on top damaged your system. As an example the charger block.
Have the same issue on MacBook Pro 15 “ model from 2017.
Horizontal lines are flickering and changing color. It started the next day when I opened the lid. I wonder if this happens more often for this. kind of model ? Connecting external display works without flickering lines.
Sounds like the ribbon cable from the LCD panel to the motherboard is bad, if you gently squeeze around the edges of the display does the problem get better or worse? If your AppleCare only expired a very short time ago you might want to see if you can still get the repair. I would contact Apple even though you are not close to a store. Apple is pretty good about extending warranties on products with a higher than normal failure rate and have in the past extended warranties on laptops which all had common failures. There is a thread on here already about MBPs ribbon cables failing… Screen issues, Back light dims & goes out
I have never gotten an Apple Macbook Pro that didn’t suffer a problem but also I’m never going to be a sole windows user since it’s easier to run other os’s in virtual. Sure things happen to things you buy and you should get them fixed as soon as you can send them in regardless if it’s free or for a price. Most cases Apple with replace it since I currently have a Macbook Pro 2017 that is suffering from similar issue (not as bad). Not sure why Apple hasn’t started their replacement plan for the 2017 model. Maybe it hasn’t gotten to critical mass yet. I do have an older macbook pro 2009 that suffered from glue failure and I didn’t find out about how apple was fixing it for a limited time until it was too late.
I have a macbook pro 13” 2017. The keyboard is messed up and under an apple recall, but when that happened, the display also started to flicker and have colored bands. Took it to apple, and even though it is 1.5 years since I purchased (half a year over their warranty), they would not fix the display for free. The keyboard, as I said was covered. Of course they said it was a “coincidence” that the two failed simultaneously. No drops or damage. !#^&@@ me off and the store manager wouldn’t budge. Fortunately, I put the purchase on a credit card that offered extended warranty for an extra year, and Visa will pay for it. But still, when this appears to be a problem that others have reported, you would think there would be some consideration on Apple’s part. I actually have 6 apple computers (do art installations) and Apple’s response was I should have gotten Apple Care. I told them if I did that for the 6 computers I would have spent enough $ for Apple Care to buy another computer! Sometimes they can be so dense. Update (09/17/2019) I had a 2017 13” MacBook Pro. The keyboard was messed up, replaced twice and started to mess up again. Also, I had horizontal lines that completely distorted the screen. I had to pay to have the screen replaced (about $300 from apple). About a month later when the keyboard started messing up again, and I was getting flickering, I discussed the issues with a customer support SUPERVISOR (don’t bother with the underlings). After much back and forth, he admitted that I had a lemon. I demanded a new MacBook Pro, and they agreed. So it pays to ##&&% and moan. It’s not fun, but honesty and persistence pays off. There are a lot of problems reported about the 2017 models, and a number of recalls. So far, the new 2019 model is working beautifully. Good luck. Update (12/02/2019) It happened AGAIN (since my last writing) and I insisted that they replace my computer becuase it was a lemon. In NY, there is a lemon law that covers all purchases. First I tried the store where I brought the computer for servicing, and then I climbed the ladder of supervisors until I got one who had the capability to offer a replacement. It wasn’t easy, and they will do everything in their power to counter you. They may even offer to fix it again for no charge (or reduce the charge). I really think that year of mbp, 2017, was a bad year and the machines have multiple recalls (keyboard, hard drive, and now screen). Insist on a new replacement. Good luck.
Hello People, my Girlfriends Macbook Pro 15” (2017) started having the same issues yesterday. She flipped the display open and suddenly horizontal flickering lines and a big green bar on the right hand side of the screen appeared. Additiononal to that there’s a noticable noise coming out of the body of the compter - from the hinge, on the left hand side. The lines fade at a certain angle, with the noise still noticable. This leads me to believe theres a problem with the connection, hence the buzzing noise. I’m pretty angry because of this issue. Thankfully I’m in europe so we’ve got a two year sort-of warranty for every product purchased. I only need to file a formal complaint with the shop I bought this machine from and proof that this is an issue that was causes through normal use. Is there anything that would help me with this? Would an authorized technitian confirm that to me? Plus: Through a quick research I see the same problem appearing more frequently in forums over the course of the past months. People keep describing the aforementioned issue. I’d say that there’s another design flaw apple has to deal with through a replacement program.
This in and unbelievable issue for Mac gear, very tempted to switch to Widows systems, this is ridiculous service behind your equipment Apple! Should I contact the FTC? Will like this repaired free of cost, I will pay for the shipping no problem… But please, my office is considering jumping to Windows systems. Help. help. help!!
I also have this problem - both the sticky keyboard/trackpad, glitching display which turned into the horizontal blue, green and pink lines (Macbook pro 2017) Looking at replacing the LCD & connection cables but maybe looking for a windows laptop or a 2019 macbook is better?
I have exactly the same problem with my display. The problem started 26 months after the purchase. Now without guarantee I should pay 600 euros. The problem is probably with the display cable. If you run along the edge, the display will go back for a short time. It probably has a loose connection. I am very disenchanted with Apple support. Is there any solution for us?
Hello, I have a same problem in my mac 2017 15”, it’s happened like this, I use my computer every day for development. I’m sad, it’s my first bad experience with Apple…, for the moment he asks 700€ for fix it. I hope they open repair program in the future. I paid my mac 4000€ two year ago…, it’s out of the question I paid the reparation.
I have the same problem with my MacBook Pro 13 2017
Facing exactly the same problem!Mine is MacBook Pro 2017, went to iCare and they are charging me around $700 dollars to change the display apparently! I’m so angry because it just started malfunctioning on its own, and has happened not because of any fault of mine, I’d taken good care of my MacBook Pro and yet I have to pay $700 dollars for a display that comes only with 90 days warranty. What if it fails again? I don’t trust their display anymore. Decided to sell it instead and buy a Windows system because I’m scared the display will fail again, and after going through forums, it seems like a recurring problem.
I have problem also with my MBP 13 2017 Touch Bar, after 1 hour the screen will flickring and dark. I have to close the lid before the picture will appear again. Now it getting worst, It only stands for 30 minutes or less, it is very annoying when it appear while I am teaching by virtual. I always take car my MacBook carefully. I use case for it, also use Capdase Sleeve. I have this problem after 2 years using it, I’ve asked to Apple Authorised Stored and they charged me about $350 for screen replacement. I am very dissapointed.
Hi Camilo, Can you please brief your answer I also facing the same issue for my macbook pro 2012 mid model (out of Warrenty). How do I file a complaint and what are the sentence I have to convey to them please explain. It’s really a greatful and appreciatable if I get a fast response from you.
Dan, Why do you say it might need a logic board too? How can one tell if it’s just the display or logic board issues too? Here’s a picture of the display issue.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/23e5y4ijz440cu… There are several small cracks in the lower left corner of the screen but the display issues are not right where those cracks are. GREAT help from you! Sorry your arthritis prevents you from fiddling. Thanks all around!
I suffer from the same issue. Few months after my warranty ended, thick pink stripes occured on my display. After I’ve reached out to support they told me that it’s going to be paid repair and it will cost about 2000 - 2500 PLN (about 450-550 €). The only solution I see is to buy some external display and turn that MBP into desktop. I really like mac os but I know I will never buy any Apple’s computer again. You can get much better hardware without issues like that.
a few days ago I saw a video on youtube about this problem, where they said that the fault is due to the fact that the 2016-2017 model had a 3 cm long display flat cable and in the 2018 version it was lengthened by a further 2 mm. but do you think it is possible to replace a 2017 display with a 2018 display or are the connectors completely different?
Do you need any documents such as receipt etc.?
Same problem. I read on a MacRumors forum that two people found a work-around by using Boot Camp to install Windows 10 which comes with its own video drivers. But of course then you have a Windows notebook & not a Mac but at least it works???
