MacBook Pro 2017 Display Glitching Very Badly

"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."