Hardware giant Dell is to recall more than four million
laptop batteries because of a fire risk.
The company announced the move in co-operation with the US
Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory bodies. The
recall will cover around 4.1 million Dell-branded lithium-ion
batteries with cells manufactured by Sony.
“Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to
overheat, which could cause a risk of fire,” Dell warned.
The recall is not the first for the hardware giant. In December,
Dell recalled 22,000 laptop computer batteries because of fire
risks from overheating.
Last month, the company confirmed it was investigating why one
of its laptops exploded at a conference in Japan. Pictures showing
flames bursting from the laptop were posted on the web.
The new recall affects batteries that were sold with a range of
Dell laptops, as well as being sold separately, between 1 April
2004 and 18 July 2006.
The affected batteries are marked "Dell" and either "Made in
Japan", "Made in China" or "Battery Cell Made in Japan Assembled in
China".
Dell has set up a dedicated website with information on the
battery recall at
www.dellbatteryprogram.com.
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