odd trackpad behavior

[Ombligo]

The trackpad on my mid-2012 MBP (Mojave 10.14.6) is acting up.

It works fine for a while but then will stop responding or respond erratically. If I reboot, everything will be fine for 30-40 minutes then it starts the same behavior.

I zapped PRAM, but the behavior continues. I checked for malware, but nothing shows up, I've closed programs but no change. I thought about hardware, but then why would a reboot temporarily correct it immediately?

I do need a new battery (745 cycles, 64% capacity), but that would be more of a hardware issue and a reboot shouldn't matter - right?

any ideas?

[Rolando]

I think I have the same model. Does the trackpad feel flat, no battery expansion?

[JoeH]

Start with the battery, that old and number of cycles it has probably started swelling a bit and pressing on the underside of the trackpad.

As for the reboot, that may just reset the sensitivity for a while.

[RAMd®d]

Agreed about the potential battery swelling.

That's the same behavior I experienced with an old Santa Rosa MB.

I accidentally noticed the removable battery has swollen and the 'Book would lie flat on a flat surface.

Replacing the battery fixed that problem. the the battery was junk and only lasted a few months before the trackpad started acting up, because...

You guessed it.