DELL RECALLS 4MIL LAPTOP BATTERIES

[Anonymous]

Dell recalls 4m laptop batteries
The
world’s largest manufacturer of personal computers, Dell, is to recall
4.1 million of its notebook computer batteries because of a fire
risk.Most batteries are in computers sold in the US but more than 1
million are thought to be elsewhere.Dell says it knows of six instances
since December when the batteries, made by Sony, overheated or caught
fire.The US body responsible for consumer safety says it is the biggest
recall of electrical products in its history.A spokesman for the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Scott Wolfson, said users of
affected laptops should only run the machines on a power cord.

‘Rare cases’
The
Sony lithium-ion batteries were placed in laptops shipped between April
2004 and July 2006.They were included in some models of Dell’s
Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Precision mobile workstation notebooks.”In
rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat,
causing a risk of smoke and or fire,” said Dell spokesman Ira
Williams.”It happens in rare cases but we opted to take this broad
action immediately.”Dell has already launched a website
http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com – telling customers how to get a free
replacement battery.No injuries had been linked to Dell laptops with
defective batteries, the company told Reuters news agency.The CPSC has
identified 339 incidents in which lithium batteries used in laptops and
cell phones – not just Dell products – overheated between 2003 and
2005.Some incidents involved minor skin burns or actual injuries as
well as property damage, Mr Wolfson said.

[Author]

August 15, 2006 at 12:32 PM