Battery group seeks laptop safety
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Updated safety standards for laptop batteries should be in place within the next 12 months, a working group says.
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WASHINGTON -- Some 526,000 batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers worldwide are being recalled in the latest problem with batteries made by Sony Corp., the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
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Toshiba Corp. will exchange 340,000 notebook computer batteries, which the company said do not pose a fire hazard. but could could cut power to the notebooks, causing users to lose unsaved work
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Gateway today recalled 14,000 batteries used in its laptops after four customers reported that their computers had overheated.
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(InfoWorld) - Fujitsu'sÂ recall of defective batteriesÂ will affect 287,000 notebook PCs, including 63,000 in Japan, the company said Wednesday. Fujitsu last week became the fifth recent PC vendor to recall batteries using lithium-ion cells made by Sony Energy Devices. A manufacturing defect can cause those cells to short circuit, overheating and in some cases catching fire. So Fujitsu has asked both users of certain notebook PCs and dealers with unsold computers in their inventory to return the affected batteries, said Sean Nemoto, investor relations manager for Fujitsu. Dell started the rush when it announced on Aug. 14 it wouldÂ recall 4.1 million batteries, following complaints from a handful of customers that their PCs had burst into flames. Other vendors quickly followed, includingÂ Apple Computer,Â Toshiba,Â Lenovo Group, IBM, andÂ Fujitsu. Together they have recalled 7.9 million batteries. Sony has beenÂ pushing vendors to recall its batteriesÂ even in the absence of customer complaints. Sony said Thursday that it was working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall any remaining defective cells in notebooks worldwide. The move will not affect other types of consumer electronics that use lithium-ion cells, such as cameras and music players. Notebook vendors insist that the number of actual fires is very small, amounting to just fractions of a percent compared to the many millions of batteries recalled. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has counted 47 incidents of smoke or fire coming from notebook computers from January 2001 to August 2006. Sony and the vendors continue to debate whether the fault lies solely in battery cell manufacturing, or also in the design of notebook PCs. Sony designs its batteries to shut down after a short circuit, but in certain occasions they will continue to overheat. "The potential for this to occur can be affected by variations in the system configurations found in different notebook computers," the company said. Hewlett-Packard said Monday that its customers had not experienced any overheated batteries thanks to redundant safety features used in HP notebooks. "Because of HP's PC system configuration, HP notebooks using Sony battery cells are not prone to overheating issues that have recently been observed," the companies said in a joint statement. However, other vendors insist their designs are also safe. Dell's recall is careful to state that "only the described batteries are subject to this recall and not the notebook computers themselves."
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Computer maker Lenovo Inc. on Thursday recalled about 100,000 lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad laptops after receiving four reports of the Sanyo-built batteries overheating.
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Hewlett-Packard is making a high-stakes bet that it won't get burned by a bad battery. Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Toshiba and Fujitsu are recalling 7.7 million laptop batteries made by Sony. The batteries can, in rare instances, overheat and catch fire. HP uses Sony battery parts, too, but it is not recalling them. The company believes it is safe because it reviewed and rejected Sony battery parts for nearly a year before buying any, spokesman Mike Hockey says.
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Sony's battery woes continued late Monday, as laptop manufacturer Toshiba announced it was recalling 340,000 batteries across its Dynabook and Satellite lines. Unlike the Dell and Apple recalls, however, Toshiba says the defective batteries do not pose a fire risk.
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MUCH LOVED music firm Apple has had to recall more than 28,000 rechargeable batteries that it jacks into its aluminium 15-inch PowerBook G4 because they may overheat.
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PC maker says it is looking into a fire incident on a Lenovo laptop PC equipped with a Sony battery.
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A new "gas gauge" chip for laptop batteries provides much more accurate readouts of time left.
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BATTERY RESTRICTIONS Beginning Tuesday, airline passengers cannot pack any loose lithium batteries in checked bags, though the batteries are permitted if contained within laptops, cellphones or other electronic devices, according to a new rule by the Transportation Department. The department said that loose lithium batteries can short-circuit and create a fire hazard in cargo holds. The new rule also limits to two the number of large-size spare lithium batteries that may be brought on in carry-on bags, but a department spokeswoman says that restriction applies mostly to professional and industrial-use batteries and does not affect most lithium batteries used in consumer electronics like laptops and cellphones.
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(InfoWorld) - Toshiba has offered to exchange 340,000 notebook computer batteries, but said they do not pose a fire hazard. Instead, defective batteries could unexpectedly cut power to the notebooks, causing users to lose unsaved work. TheÂ batteries, made by Sony, may fail to charge correctly, causing the power to cut off suddenly if the notebook is not connected to a mains outlet, said Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Ohmori. Reports of lithium ion cells in notebook batteries overheating or catching fire have prompted other computer manufacturers, including Apple Computer and Dell, to issue safety recalls.Â Dell recalled 4.1 million batteriesÂ used in its notebook computers in August, citing a fire hazard, whileÂ Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries, warning that they could overheat. Toshiba's batteries areÂ not at risk of starting a fire, Ohmori said. "There is no such hazardous or related issue," he said. Instead, Toshiba's problems stem from a defect in the interface circuitry between the battery cells and the computer. That defect is caused by corrosion, said a spokesman for Sony, the manufacturer of the batteries. An ingredient used in the insulating paper of batteries manufactured between March and May can corrode components in the batteries' charging circuits, causing them to fail, said Sony spokesman Takashia Uehara. The supplier changed the composition of the insulating paper without notice, he said. Batteries made for other notebook manufacturers also contained the paper, and Sony is working with those companies to see whether there is a problem, Uehara said. He declined to say how many batteries were affected overall. Toshiba's battery exchange offer covers 10 models of Toshiba notebook computer. The company will post a software tool to its Web site shortly, allowing customers to identify whether their computer is affected, Ohmori said.
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Toshiba is recalling about 5100 Sony-made notebook batteries that could overheat.
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Toshiba is recalling about 5,100 laptop batteries that could overheat and burn users.
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Certain ThinkPad power adapters pose a fire danger, company warns.
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Thousands of rechargeable batteries for use in Apple&#39;s Powerbook G4 laptop are being recalled. The batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard. However, no injuries have been reported.