Dell recalling 4.1 million Batteries (8/14)

From reuters.com..

Dell to recall 4.1 mln notebook PC batteries

From the article..

"The recall of batteries in Dell notebooks sold from April 2004 through last month spans the company's assortment of Latitude, Inspiron and Precision models...The recall involves 18 percent of Dell's 22 million notebook computers sold during the period from April 2004 to July 2006."


Yikes, that is quite a large window. I imagine that this will affect many people on here.

 

That is a mighty big window, mine falls in there. Thats going to be a minor pain in the ass.

 

Hmm ...

... my XPS M1710 is in Day 1 of the three day "Boxing". Wonder if they'll "box" a battery NOT subject to recall.

 

the nice thing about these recalls is that for customers with older bats, you basically get a new fresh battery. Dell makes it pain free for you, they mail u one, you return the bad one in a prepaid box.

 

Yeah, I don't really want a new battery, but hey, I won't complain either.

 

Hmm...I wonder if I can get away with upgrading to a nice 9 cell with this incident? Maybe they are processing so many order that they dont care what they send out.

 

mine was ordered on july 21st 2006.... i wonder if i'm going to qualify for the recall...

/edit

well i just checked my config of my laptop on the dell site...

ARGH

 

how does this recall work? do they just automatically send the replacement to all affected customers, or do you have to contact dell and let them know...?

 

Check www.dellbatteryprogram.com, starting at 1 a.m. Central Daylight Time on the 15th of August (tomorrow for most of us).

 

Craze:

From the report on NBC Nightly News, they said the END date range was July 18, 2006.

Again ... hmm ...

 

well its only a 3 day difference, maybe i have one of the new sony ones i guess the only thing to do is to wait for the dellrecall site to come up tomorrow and check my model number.

 

I ordered mine on July 19th...hmm..

 

looks like i'm getting a free, new battery.

and by the way, slightly off topic, if anyone has a dell battery with the 5 light indicator, how do you check it when it's off? i don't see a button on it, but it has that 5 light strip. i have a 9-cell for an e1705.

 

Push around on either side of the 5 light strip. Should activate it.

 

That's funny, I recently noticed that my computer was running hot and once in awhile I'd get a red blinking battery light for no reason (when on AC power). I have a D600 I bought two summers ago, so I guess that's it. I just took the battery out and am running on AC power.

 

Dell actually handles recalls with a lot of class (they are a massive company, so they should). I had a laptop battery recalled about 5 years ago from them...and not only did they send me a replacement...but they sent an EXTRA battery to make up for the hassle. So two new batteries and only I had to do was ship back (using the materials they provided). Hope they'll do that for you guys this time

 

Well, I've got two batteries for my 700m. Lets see if they're affected and if they replace them both!

 

Hope my newly purchased E1705 is not affected!

 

If its a Sony battery (to check, go to your dell account and manage service tag) then yours will be replaced. Its funny how the big brand name has more problems than the ones that are unknown.

 

Dell has issued a major recall of 4.1 million batteries manufactured by Sony. Under rare conditions these batteries can overheat and cause risk of fire.

Affected Batteries

Many recent and older Dell laptops fall under this recall. Here is the complete list of laptops possibly affected by this recall:

• Latitude410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810;
• Inspiron:6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705;
• Precision:M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations
• XPS: XPS (Gen 1), XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710.

Any of these notebooks purchased between April 1, 2004 and July 18, 2006 might have a problematic battery. The identification number for the battery appears on a white sticker. Customers should get this identification number and contact Dell to determine if the battery is part of the recall. Batteries that were sold seperately from a laptop or sent in response to a service call might also be affected -- in such a case look for"Made in Japan" or "Made in China" or "Battery Cell Made in Japan Assembled in China" on a label on the battery and if you find this then you should also call to check if the battery falls under a recall.

Dell Contact Information and Further Information from Dell

Customers should contact Dell to determine if their notebook computer battery is part of this recall. Please visit the firm's Web site at www.dellbatteryprogram.com beginning at 1 a.m. Central Daylight Time Aug. 15 or call toll-free at 1-866-342-0011, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. Customers may continue to use the notebook computers safely by turning the system off, ejecting the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord to power the system until the replacement battery is received. Customers can also write to: Dell Inc., Attn: Battery Recall, 9701 Metric Blvd., Austin, Texas 78758.

 

the site is actually already up.

https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx

i just checked mine and my battery is fine

 

Thanks for posting the link. I'll be interested if they ship me my new M1710 WITH a defective battery -- especially since it's still in the "Boxing" stage, where they put all the accessories in the crate!

Let's hope they take the three days of boxing to ensure I get a "decent" battery!

 

WHEW! I'm happy. I have an RD850 and the recalled version is the RD857. Sweet.

 

Anyone order in August and IS affected?

 

mm...dont need a new battery seeing as how this is a pretty much brand new laptop. gotta wait to do this though, cause im leaving for college this week.

 

I also have an RD850 code so I am safe good luck to all those people who aren't so lucky, I hope Dell does a good job for you guys and expedites your replacements.

 

my 1505 6 cell battery from june I think it was, is not in the recall pool. It was made in korea.

 

I checked mine out and it is not recalled. (Made in Japan) However, my friend's and my mom's are both recalled. (Made in China)

 

Well, I just filed my claim for a new battery, but Dell wants me to wait 75 business days for it!

 

yikes! Did they give any instructions on how to minimize the overheating risk in the interim? Like don't use it over X number of hours while it is plugged in, etc..?

 

**** I ordered mine on the last day of March and not affected.
I was hoping I could get a free battery....

 

Wow, 75 days? What if it blows up before then? Must not be worried about that or the inconviences if your to scared out of your mind to use the battery.

Lol, read the AOL (CNN) version of the story where http://articles.news.aol.com/busine...p/20060814181709990031?ncid=NWS00010000000001. XPS was typoed XTS. Anyways. My 9cell is made by Sanyo so, guess thats ok. I'm going to half to check on my 6 cell.

 

dell says not to use the battery at all if you're waiting for a replacement, so those worried about how long you can use it before the overheating issue occurs, you're better off just using your lappy as a desktop for a couple days and not blowing up.

 

75 days for a battery?


Mine missed the recall list. Luckily..

 

Sweet, mine is isnt on the list
Module,Battery,Primary,53W 6C,SIMPLO

 

I'm also good, got worried after I saw my battery model number on the list. After fulling in the full id though it turned up as not being affected.

 

Not affected. Not sure if it's good or not. It would have been nice to get an extra battery...

 

Not affected here either. I was really hoping that I could get a 9 cell out of this. (crappy 6 cell)

 

So uh, how many people have an infected model laptop and battery model number, but when they put in the full ID it said replacement wasn't needed? Because I don't want to find out a little later down the road that I accidentally put in the wrong ID number or something as I'm watching my laptop explode or anything...

 

not affected

 

Affected!

Its funny they had a recall before this in 2005 and mine was not on the list.
It is now. Lets see when it arrives.

 

Well, I'm not affected, but our anchorman read 'XTS' aswell, made me chuckle.

I'm glad Dell are doing the responsible thing and issuing a battery recall for 4.1 million batteries, when we've had reports of only 3-4 actually catching fire.

I admire Dell for doing this, Apple won't even acknowledge the problems they have with their machines.

And - good news for all Dell Australia customers - Dell will call you soon and walk you through checking if your battery is affected.

Top job Dell - and don't buy sony again!

 

Its not the first time Dell has done this. I had my 8200 batts or my 7500 batts replaced in a recall as well but not in this number though. no big deal, sh*t happens and dell was proactive about this. kudos to dell really....

 

Thank god my M90 isn't in the replacement catagory, it'a made in Korea...
I guess I'll have to check all three inspirons I bought recently...
I really don't mind replacing battery for 700m since it's like 1 3/4 years old, but one of two E1505 is going to be hassel. I'll have to call my dad and see if he can read me the numbers off of the battery. I sure he have his reading glasses handy. I hope all of my Inspirons batteries is in the replacement catagory, so I can call them up and see if they can replace it faster...

 

I have a Korean battery, and their site said mine is fine

 

it's even funnier how DELL put the flames decal on the XPS...

 

I don't think its a big deal - but I guess it is since it made cover story of the NY Times. For those who are affected, its probably a boon (especially if its an older machine) because you get a new battery free.

 

I've just checked and 700m doesn't need a replacement battery, it's made in China. I really did hope I can receive new battery for it. And just now I just received a called from my dad and he said it's made in Japan, he didn't had his reading glass with him, so he couldn't give me the the part number correctly, but it sounded like it fell in to replacement category. I haven't received email back from my brother, but I hope it's not another Sony.

 

I know, I was really shocked to find out that Dell wanted to me to wait that long. I called Customer Relations/Tech Support and they said it was a glitch in the system - I only now have to wait 20 business days

 

I was relieved when I found the site last night, that E1405's weren't affected.