Reddit reviews PC-Mart. New 821-2049-A HDD Hard Drive Cable for Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch A1278 Mid 2012 Year MD101 MD102 Laptop HDD Hard Drive Cable 821-2049-A
We found 2 Reddit comments about PC-Mart. New 821-2049-A HDD Hard Drive Cable for Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch A1278 Mid 2012 Year MD101 MD102 Laptop HDD Hard Drive Cable 821-2049-A. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
* Brand New replacement, High Quality, 100% tested before shipping out.* Compatible Model: MD101LL/A,MD102LL/A* Fit for: Apple Macbook Pro 13 inch A1278 Mid 2012 MD101 MD102 Laptop 821-2049-A* Part Number: 923-0104, 923-0741, 821-2049-A* 12 Months Warranty.
This happened to me pretty recently. The flex cable for the hard drive went bad. I guess it's pretty common in some of the older pro models (I have a mid 2012 one). I was able to order a cable off Amazon and replace it myself, it was fairly simple. Here is the link to the cable I ordered, and here is a link to the replacement guide I followed, both for the mid 2012 model.
Edit: I saw that you mentioned in another comment that the repair option isn't showing up for you in the disk utility. If you're hdd isn't showing up or is showing up as "disk0" it doesn't necessarily mean its dead. If the cable is dead then your computer can't "see" it, so it's not going to show up in the disk utility (I think. I'm by no means a computer expert. I just did a LOT of googling when it happened to me haha).
I just replaced one a couple months ago, but it wasn't as bad as yours. It was just painfully slow. Got the part on Amazon for $14. Part # is 821-2049-A.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y43G2MH?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I've heard the cable gets damaged from friction from moving within the case.
However, when I inspected the old cable it looked perfect.