Sony expands battery recall

sony recalled an additional 250,00 vaio batteries in the US this morning. but i cant find any solid info. the news is not specific. anyone know how to get info. ok here is the link to find out if your battery is bad:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/compatibility.pl?comp_project_id=7

it looks like just the fe models and the t models are affected

 

Thanks for spotting this. I'll have to make sure customers of mine know. Much appreciated.

 

Here is the full story as of now.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07011.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2006
Release #07-011 Firm’s Recall Hotline: See Options Below
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contacts: Julie Vallese or Scott Wolfson, (301) 504-7908 or (301) 504-7051
Sony Media Contact: Rick Clancy, (858) 942-3020

Sony Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Previous Fires
The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Rechargeable, lithium ion batteries containing Sony cells used in Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Gateway Inc., Sony Electronics Inc., and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. notebook computers.

Units: About 340,000 batteries (an additional 3,080,000 battery packs were sold worldwide)

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corp., of Japan

Hazard: These lithium ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 16 reports of notebook computer batteries overheating, causing minor property damage and two minor burns. All of these reported incidents and injuries have been associated with earlier recalls of notebook computer batteries containing these Sony cells. There have been no incidents involving batteries sold by the notebook manufacturers participating in this announcement.

Description: These lithium ion batteries were sold with, or sold separately to be used with, the following notebook computer models:
Computer Manufacturer Computer Model Battery Model
Fujitsu LifeBook: P1510, P1510D, P7120, P7120D, S7020, S7020D, C1320D, Q2010, T4210 CP229720-01, CP229725-01, CP234003-01, CP234019-01, CP255100-01, CP255108-01, CP267910-01, CP267915-01, CP283030-01, CP293420-01
Gateway Gateway: CX200, CX210, E100M, M250, M255, M280, M285, M465, M685, MP8708, NX260, NX510, NX560, NX860, NX100, MX1025, MX6918b, and MX1020j 916C4610F, 916C4720F, 916C4730F, 916C5010F, W230
Sony Sony VAIO: VGN-FE550G, VGN-FE570G, VGN-T240P, VGN-T250, VGN-T250P, VGN-T260P, VGN-T270P, VGN-T340P, VGN-T350, VGN-T350P, VGN-T360P, VGN-T370P VGP-BPS3A, VGP-BPS2B
Toshiba Portege: M300, M400/M405, S100/S105
Qosmio: G35
Satellite: R10/R15
Tecra: A2, M3, M4, M5, M6, and S3 PA3191U-4BRS, PA3356U-2BRS, PA3475U-1BRS, PA3191U-5BRS, PA3356U-3BRS, PA3476U-1BRS

The battery model can be found on the battery’s label.

Sold: Directly by Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, Gateway Inc., Sony Electronics Inc., and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. and through authorized distributors as part of a notebook computer. The computers sold for between $500 and $3000 and the batteries were also sold separately for between $75 and $200, during the following dates:

* Fujitsu - from June 2005 through October 2006.
* Gateway - from September 2005 through October 2006.
* Sony - from December 2004 through October 2006
* Toshiba - from September 2004 through October 2006.

Manufactured in: Japan, China, Taiwan and Malaysia

Remedy: Consumers should remove the affected batteries from notebook computers until they contact their computer manufacturer and receive further instructions. Batteries covered by this program will be replaced free of charge. Consumers should use only batteries obtained from their computer manufacturer or from an authorized reseller.

Consumer Contact: Customers should contact the manufacturer of their notebook computer to determine if their battery is covered by this program and to request a replacement battery. The contact information for the participating manufacturers is:

* Fujitsu - (800) 8FUJITSU or www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/battery
* Gateway – (800) 292-6813 or www.gateway.com/battery
* Sony – (888) 476-6972 or http://esupport.sony.com/battery
* Toshiba – (800) 457-7777 or www.bxinfo.toshiba.com

The CPSC has also prepared a list of safety tips that consumers should follow when using a notebook computer. The list can be found at: www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06271.html





Fujitsu
Picture of Fujitsu Notebook Computer Picture of Fujitsu Recalled Battery






Gateway
Picture of Gateway Notebook Computer






Sony
Picture of Sony Notebook Computer Picture of Sony Recalled Battery Picture of Sony Recalled Batteries



Toshiba
Picture of Toshiba Notebook Computer
Picture of Toshiba Recalled Batteries

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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

 

Sony explains what went wrong:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,127637/article.html

Ivan

 

so i guess sz are ok