- May 31, 2011 01:05pm EST
- http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386176,00.asp
HP Recalls 162,000 Laptop Batteries
HP's battery blues continue with 162,000 recalled units following last year's worldwide recall. The company discovered a laptop model series that was not included in the previous recall.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) reported last week that the affected laptops were purchased between July 2007 and July 2008. The USPSC noted, "The recalled lithium-ion batteries can overheat and rupture, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers." In 2010, John Norrie sued HP over an HP Pavilion with a faulty battery that caused a fire that destroyed his home in 2006.
The HP Compaq 6520s and a battery in the HP Pavilion were the newly affected models added to the list. Both the HP website and the USCPSC provided a complete list of all of the affected units.
The USCPSC advised affected consumers to immediately remove the battery and contact HP. It also advised that consumers who were previously not included in previous recalls should check again.
HP is providing an online validation process to help you determine if you are affected. They also note that approximately 5 percent of all batteries sold in the July 2007 to July 2008 period were affected. Fortunately, replacement batteries will be provided to affected consumers at no charge.
HP's expansion of its affected batteries adds to the ongoing battery troubles across computer manufacturers. 162,000 may seem like a large number, but in August 2006, Apple recalled 1.8 million laptop batteries. Just a few short weeks before Apple's recall, Dell recalled a record 4.1 million laptop batteries.
In the case of Apple and Dell, however, Sony was the maker of the affected batteries. It would certainly be another bad day for Sony had it been the manufacturer of HP's batteries.
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