Toshiba recalls Sony laptop batteries
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Toshiba is recalling 340,000 laptop batteries made by Sony Corp. because of problems with recharging them, the latest in a string of embarrassing defects and production glitches for Sony.
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(InfoWorld) - Toshiba is recalling a small batch of laptop batteries that could overheat and burn users, a company spokesman said Thursday. About 5,100 Sony-made lithium-ion batteries are defective, spanning 10 models of Toshiba computers, some of which are essentially the same model but carry a different name in different regions, said Manuel Linnig, Toshiba spokesman in Germany. The latest recall involves a different type of battery than in September 2006 when more than 8 million rechargeable lithium-ion batteries made by Sony wereÂ recalled. Those batteries, which were in a range of laptops from Apple, Lenovo Group, Fujitsu Computer Systems, Gateway, Sony Electronics, and Toshiba, suffered a defect that could cause them to short circuit. Most recently, oneÂ laptop caught fireÂ in May due to a battery that had not been replaced. In a worse-case scenario, the defective batteries in this latest recall could cause burns to users, as well as damage the computer, Linnig said. "We had some reports coming from Japan and Australia where they simply got too warm, but nobody got injured, luckily," he said. The batteries were made around December 2005 and installed in laptops between January and April 2006. Five models were sold in Japan, with five others sold outside Japan, Linnig said. Toshiba plans to put a utility application on its Web site in the next day or so that checks if a laptop is vulnerable and informs the consumer, Linnig said. For those who don't want to download an application, a document will be posted so users can identify their batteries by serial number. Affected users can then fill out an online form, and Toshiba will send them a postage-paid envelope to return the defective battery, and the company will then mail them out a new one, Linnig said. Â
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Japan's Hitachi Ltd. said on Friday it  would recall 16,000 laptop batteries made by Sony Corp., taking  part in Sony's worldwide battery exchange program.
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A fire involving a laptop at Los Angeles International Airport has prompted Lenovo Group and IBM to recall Sony-made batteries used in 526,000 laptops because of concerns about fire.
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Dell Inc.'s recall of 4.1 million  notebook computer batteries could cost Sony Corp. anywhere from  10 billion yen to 50 billion yen ($85-$430 million), hurting  the Japanese electronics maker's short-term earnings and its  brand image, analysts said.
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Sony Corp.'s battery problems deepened on  Friday after Toshiba Corp. joined the list of PC makers  recalling its batteries including Dell Inc., Apple Computer  Inc. and Lenovo.
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(InfoWorld) - Eight months after recalling potentially flammable notebook PC batteries, Toshiba is again urging its customers to trade in the defective units, saying one of its notebooks caught fire on May 24. Toshiba was one of many PC vendors that recalled more than 8 million rechargeable lithium-ion batteries made by Sony. A manufacturing defect left those batteries vulnerable to short-circuiting and catching fire if they were jostled, prompting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a broad recall. Dell was the first to recall those batteriesÂ in August 2006 and was quickly followed by Apple, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Gateway, and Sony. By October 2006, that defect had led to 16 reports of notebook computer batteries overheating, causing minor property damage and two minor burns, according to the Commission. On Tuesday, Toshiba said the latest fire was sparked by a battery that was never returned. "Recently, certain instances occurred where Sony battery packs installed in Toshiba portable computers caught fire," Toshiba said in a statement on its Web site. After an investigation with Sony, Toshiba found that the battery caused "the situation," the statement said. "The original Sony Battery Pack had not been replaced as recommended by Sony and Toshiba. We put importance on the fact that the incidents that occurred involved unreplaced Sony Battery Packs, despite our ongoing replacement program." In the original recall, the Commission warned laptop users to remove the batteries immediately and to power their PCs only by plugging them into a wall outlet until receiving a free replacement battery from the PC manufacturer. Laptop users were responsible for taking the initiative to return their own batteries, leading some analysts to predict that only a small percentage would do so. Other PC vendors may face the same challenge, although the Commission does not list any other fires. Dell is continuing to replace the faulty batteries, but a spokesman said he could not produce figures for the number of batteries replaced or whether the company had noted any overheating incidents since the recall began. "The recall's going well. Customers are taking heed to send back the affected batteries and have replacements sent to them," said Dell spokesman Bob Kaufman. In response to the latest fire, Toshiba warned customers to stop using the affected batteries immediately. Users who continue running their laptops on battery power should not leave their PCs unattended while they charge and should not place PCs on a sofa, bed or other surface that could obstruct its ventilation, Toshiba said. Toshiba has not changed the list of laptops that use the affected batteries. They include various models of the company's Portege, Qosmio, Satellite, and Tecra brand PCs. As with the original recall, Toshiba will replace all affected batteries for free.
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Toshiba is recalling 5,100 laptop batteries sold around the world after three instances of the batteries catching fire, two in Japan and one in Australia. Affected batteries were manufactured by Sony in December 2005 for Toshiba's Dynabook, Dynabook Satellite, Satellite and Tecra lines.
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Hitachi Ltd.  said on Friday it  will recall 16,000 batteries made by Sony Corp.  for  laptop computers, joining a growing list of PC makers recalling  Sony batteries.
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(InfoWorld) - Toshiba is offering to replace a further 830,000 laptop batteries containing cellsÂ made by Sony, it said Friday. The offer covers computers sold worldwide and is separate from aÂ similar announcementÂ made by the company last week. Toshiba is offering to exchange the batteries to ease customer concerns in the light of several recentÂ high-profile battery recalls, it said. "There is no safety issue, we will voluntarily exchange the battery pack used in certain notebook PCs," said Keisuke Ohmori, a spokesman for Toshiba in Tokyo. The announcement came less than a day after Lenovo Group said it wouldÂ replace batteriesÂ for 526,000 of its laptops sold in 2005 and 2006. Last week, ToshibaÂ offered to exchangeÂ 340,000 notebook batteries because it said they could unexpectedly cut power, causing users to lose unsaved work. The latest offer covers batteries in the following laptop models: Satellite T10, T11, T12, T20, A50; Tecra M3, M4, M5, M7, S3; Portege S100, M300, M400, M500; Dynabook SS LX, L10, L11, M10, M11, M35, MX, MXW; Dynabook R10; Dynabook TX/2, TX/3, TX4; Qosmio G30, F30; Other models sold only overseas are also covered but were not named by Toshiba in Japan.
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(InfoWorld) - Sony Corp. will conduct its own replacement program to address overheating problems that have hit some notebook batteries. The company is planning a worldwide program to replace battery packs that use certain Sony lithium-ion cells, according to a brief statement issued Thursday. It is discussing the plan with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and will also work with governments in other countries. More details will come soon, Sony said. The planned replacement program will address the cells involved inÂ Dell Inc. andÂ Apple Computer Inc. recalls earlier this year, said Sony spokesman David Yang. It will reach other vendors that used those batteries. Sony is already talking to some manufacturers and will work with the system vendors on possible recalls, he said. The affected cells were made between January 2004 and February 2006, Yang said. The announcement came the same day that a fourth notebook vendor,Â Lenovo Group Ltd., recalled Sony-based battery packsÂ used in its products. A recall by Toshiba Corp. followed Dell's and Apple's actions. Sony has helped support notebook makers' recalls but has not yet initiated a program itself. The recalls have been one more embarrassment for consumer electronics and media giant, which has suffered a number of pratfalls in recent years. In the case of the lithium-ion cells involved in this replacement program, microscopic metal particles in the battery cells can come into contact with other parts of the cell and cause a short circuit, Sony said in its statement. The battery normally powers off at that point, but "under certain rare conditions" the short circuit may lead to overheating and fire, the company said.
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Japan's Hitachi Ltd. 6501.T said on   Friday it would recall 16,000 laptop batteries made by Sony   Corp. 6758.T, taking part in Sony's worldwide battery   exchange program.
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Toshiba, Dell, IBM. Who's next? Dell is increasing the number of Sony-made batteries it is recalling from 4.1 million to 4.2 million, the company said today.â¦
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Toshiba Corp. (6502.T) said on Thursday  it has recalled more Sony Corp. (6758.T) laptop computer  batteries due to fire risk.
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TOKYO - Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. plans to recall 340,000 notebook computer batteries, Dow Jones Newswires reported Tuesday. At least some of the batteries were manufactured by Sony Corp., the report said.  The move follows last month's battery recalls by Dell Inc.
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Toshiba has recalled more Sony laptop computer batteries due to fire risk, rekindling concerns over the safety of Sony-made batteries.
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InfoWorld - Toshiba is recalling a small batch of laptop batteries that could overheat and burn users, a company spokesman said Thursday.