Product Liability Law Blog

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Toshiba are working together to recall some 35,000 lithium-ion batteries used in the companies’ notebook computers because of concerns that the batteries could overheat and catch fire. The batteries are made by Sony Energy Devices Corporation. An additional 65,000 Sony batteries outside the United States are also part of the Sony recall.

In the United States, the batteries were sold separately, as well as included with certain Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba notebooks. Details about which laptops are affected by the battery recall, as well as the model numbers of the recalled batteries can be found on the CPSC Web site.

In the United States, there have been at least 19 reports of incidents involving the notebook batteries overheating. 17 of the incidents involved batteries that caught fire, resulting in two consumers sustaining minor burn injuries and 10 incidents of property damages.

Outside the US, Sony has received at least 40 reports of battery malfunctions. Property was damaged in 21 of the incidents, while four incidents involved consumers who sustained minor burn injuries. Sony says all of the defects related to this latest battery recall are a result of a production line adjustment. The modifications, geared towards greater efficiency, resulted in the manufacture of these defective batteries.

In 2006, Sony announced a worldwide recall of 9.6 million laptop batteries that were used in computers made by Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo Group Ltd, and Apple Inc. Sony says the defective batteries from the 2006 recall were also made by Sony Energy Devices Corporation.

In September 2008, Sony recalled approximately 73,000 VAIO TZ-series Notebook Computers because of worries that irregularly positioned wires close to the computer’s hinge could result in a short circuit that could cause the laptop to overheat, putting users at risk of sustaining burn injuries.

Injuries Caused by Overheating Laptops
Laptops are at risk of overheating because they require rechargeable batteries that do heat up. In the event that a battery defect or a laptop malfunction causes the computer to get too hot, people can suffer serious burn injuries—especially if the computer catches fire.

Sony Recalls More Laptop Batteries, WSJ Online.com, November 1, 2008

PC Notebook Computer Batteries Recalled Due to Fire and Burn Hazard, CPSC.gov, October 30, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Laptop Overheating? Some Useful Hints to Prevent It, Associated Content

Sony Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Previous Fires, CPSC.gov, October 23, 2006