Dell Issues Recall for 35,000 Laptop Batteries
Round Rock, Texas-based notebook manufacturer Dell has been forced to recall 22,000 notebook computer batteries sold in the U.S. and 13,000 sold abroad.
“Working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, we have issued a voluntary recall for the defective notebook batteries,” said Tom Kehoe, a spokesperson for Dell.
Dell has promised to replace any affected batteries.
“We identified that the batteries could overheat and potentially cause a short-circuit,” Kehoe said. “This was a manufacturing defect.” Kehoe said the recall was made out of concern for safety, as the batteries could pose a fire risk.
The identification number for each battery appears on a white sticker. Dell said that customers should have this number available when they contact the company to determine if their battery is part of the recall.
Notebook Models
In the advisory, Dell said that the 35,000 recalled batteries were sold with several models of Latitudes, Inspirons, and Precision mobile workstations between October 5, 2004 and October 13, 2005.
The specific computers affected are the Latitude D410, D505, D510, D600, D610, D800, D810 notebooks; the Inspiron 510M, 600M, 6000, 8600, 9200, 9300, XPS Gen 2 notebooks; and the Precision M20 and M70 mobile workstations.
The batteries display either a “Made in China” or a “Made in Japan” sticker. In addition to being sold with the notebooks themselves, the batteries also were sold individually as replacement or secondary batteries between October 2004 and October 2005. When sold on their own, the batteries were priced at between $99 and $179, Dell said.
Consumer Advisory
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Dell are telling consumers to stop using the batteries immediately, unless otherwise instructed. Dell said it had been told about three incidents of the recalled batteries overheating.
The incidents resulted in damage to a tabletop and a desktop and “minor damage to personal effects,” but no reported injuries.
Dell has issued a consumer advisory that lists hotline numbers for affected notebook owners to call. The firm can be reached at 866-342-0011, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can be contacted at 800-638-2772.