Apple will replace damaged keys or entire keyboards on ‘sticky’ MacBooks

Apple seeks to head off customer complaints about defective MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards, with a proactive repair offer that looks to avoid a repeat of the heavy criticism leveled at the company over slow iPhone batteries.

Apple  , in a release Friday, said it would replace the keyboard or keys on some MacBook and MacBook Pro models released since 2015, if those devices have letters or characters that repeat unexpectedly or do not appear when pressed, or have keyboards that feel “sticky” or do not respond in a consistent manner.

The MacBook issues can be traced back to 2015 when Apple introduced a new keyboard system with a “butterfly mechanism” that it said was 40% thinner and more responsive. It uses V-shaped underpinnings rather than an X-shaped scissor connection, a change Apple says features “a crisp motion that you’ll appreciate the moment you start typing.”

However, some customers have complained that dust and debris cause the keyboards, found on devices with starting prices ranging from $1,299 to $2,399, to stop working.

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At least three lawsuits have been filed in recent months against Apple over the keyboards, the Wall Street Journal reports. One of those suits, filed in the Northern District of California, argued that Apple committed fraud because it knew the MacBook keyboards were defective but failed to disclose the issues and continued to promote the product.

Customers are particularly sensitive to repairs and recalls after a well-publicized issue with Apple’s popular iPhone late last year. The company eventually slashed the cost of an iPhone battery replacement after the outcry over a software feature that slowed the performance of older-model smartphones, which subsequent lawsuits argue was a company ploy to encourage upgrade purchases.

Apple shares, which slipped in Friday trading, are up 9.2% year to date and up 26% over the past year.