Dell to recall 4 million batteries
The recall affects certain Inspiron, Latitude and Precision mobile
workstations and XPS units shipped between April 2004 and July 18,
2006. Sony manufactured the batteries that are being recalled, the
representative said.
If they have one of the affected units, consumers are advised to
eject the battery from the notebook after powering down and
continue using the notebook with its AC power adapter, the CPSC
said. Dell has so far received six reports of overheating units
that caused property damage, but no injuries.
Dell has faced several issues this year related to exploding or
flaming notebooks, and wants to ensure the safety of its customers,
the representative said. The 4.1 million units is a subset of the
22 million units shipped during that time frame, he said. Dell said
it doesn't expect the cost of the recall to materially affect its
earnings. The company reports earnings for the previous quarter
this Thursday.
At the moment, this looks like the largest battery recall in the
history of the electronics industry, said Roger Kay, an analyst
with Endpoint Technologies Associates. "The scale of it is
phenomenal."
You can go to http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com to determine if
your Dell laptop is affected.
Models in the hot seat
Latitude
D410, 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
Dell
Precision
M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations
XPS
XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710
Note: This list is not conclusive. It's going to be a massive
recall and it's a worldwide recall. If your model is not listed
here, double check with Dell.
