More Sony Batteries Recalled by Lenovo/IBM, Dell Sep 29, 2006

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Dell said today it is broadening the recall of portable PC batteries made by Sony. Dell announced the initial recall in August. Dell said it is increasing the number of recalled batteries from 4.1 million units to approximately 4.2 million units.

Yesterday, Lenovo and IBM voluntarily recalled rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers and made by Sony Corp.'s Sony Energy Devices. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said about 168,500 of the battery packs were sold in the U.S. (another 357,500 battery packs were sold worldwide). CPSC says the batteries can cause overheating, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

In August, Apple Computer also recalled Sony-made batteries because of overheating fears.

On September 20, Toshiba issued a recall of PC batteries made by Sony, but in that case the problem was not due to overheating dangers. "The affected batteries simply stop working, i.e. they stop accepting a charge, and they no longer supply power to the computer," a Toshiba information statement said. "They do not overheat, or pose any safety related issue or concern."

A Fire in an Airport Terminal
Lenovo (United States) Inc. (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, U.S.) received one confirmed report of a battery overheating and causing a fire that damaged the notebook computer. The incident occurred within an airport terminal as the user was boarding an airplane, and caused enough smoking and sparking that a fire extinguisher was used to put it out. The fire resulted in minor property damage but no injuries were reported.

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