Sony Vaio VPCZ1 Shuts Off If Moved

My Sony Vaio VPCZ12CGX shuts off sometimes when I move the laptop. This occurs more often when I grasp the laptop around the hinge/battery area. I believe it has to do with either the battery or some power wiring inside disconnecting momentarily. It doesn't occur when the power cord is connected. It has become rather annoying as I have a laptop that can randomly shut off when moving and have to worry about being gentle.

Has anyone experienced this and know the root cause and know how to fix it?

 

I had a problem with the same appearance on my VPCZ1290X some time ago - a series of shut-offs (one or more every day) when the laptop was on battery and, apparently, was moved/touched.
What do you see in the Event Viewer.. For me it was something like "the computer was not properly shutdown". I couldn't look up the exact error code/message in the Event Viewer / Reliability history as it happened to me some time in 2011 and the history doesn't go back that far.
Most of my shut-offs seemed to occur when the laptop was moved, though when I tried to cause a shut-off by some shaking and turning of the laptop, it stayed on. However sometimes a a shut-off seemed to come after a slightest tilting of the lid (even when laptop was on the desk)...
I the end my problem disappeared as suddenly as it started but before that I also run memory, disk and gpu tests (no errors) and scaned for malware (nothing found) and installed a patch that was available from Vaio Care, Diagnostics, Self Heal.

 

Mine says "The previous system shutdown at 2:21:54 PM on ‎12/‎29/‎2012 was unexpected.".

I can force mine to shut down if I mess with it enough. Sometimes it's instant, sometimes it takes a bit more grasping, flexing, and movement. Usually it occurs most often when moving the lid or grasping the battery area. Seems like your experience was almost exactly what I am seeing.

It's interesting how your issue seemed to solve itself. I wonder if there is a design flaw in the VPC Z1 and Z2 computers that is causing this.

I just read somewhere that maybe sticking a few pieces of paper between the battery and computer might result in a more stable battery contact. Hopefully, this might help.