Some 16-inch MacBook Pro owners have identified an issue with the MagSafe 3 connection that sometimes fails to deliver the expected charge when their Mac is turned off.
Some models of the 16-inch MacBook Pro and their respective 140w MagSafe 3 charger are malfunctioning when the MacBook Pro is turned off. Some customers have contacted Apple Support in order to find a solution. One user said that Apple Support decided to send a replacement laptop after a lengthy back and forth.
It's not just me then! I have the same issue. They went to the genius bar and tried to fix the problem with a cable and charger, but it was the same problem. They said they would order a new 140 watt charger for me to see if it would fix it but didn't provide any evidence for such a thing. I got a call from Apple the next day. Someone called me to follow up and asked a lot of questions, and gave me instructions to run a special diagnostics program. They said they would give me a brand new MacBook as soon as they got one, and that I would have to give back my MacBook and its charger. I'm waiting for that, but I'm at this point.
A video shared on the internet shows that when the MacBook Pro is closed, the MagSafe charging light will flash amber and the sound will be similar to the macOS charging sound effect. A consistent orange light shows the MacBook is being charged, while a green light shows it is not.
MagSafe flashing amber is an indication that something is not functioning as normal, and Apple Support provides steps to customers to try and return MagSafe to normal if an amber light is shown. This case is an exception since it only happens when the MacBook Pro is turned off. If a MacBook Pro is connected to MagSafe while turned off, MagSafe 3 will continue to charge the Mac as expected. The MagSafe problem only occurs when the Mac is turned off.
MacRumors has been unable to reproduce the bug that not all 16-inch MacBook Pro owners face. There are enough users who are facing the problem that Apple may be able to fix it.
