Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • PC Hardware

    More Sony Batteries Are Recalled

    By
    Scott Ferguson
    -
    September 29, 2006
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      There seems to be no end to Sonys battery woes.

      A day after Lenovo Groups Sept. 28 notebook battery pack recall announcement—it will recall more than 500,000 Sony-cell-based battery packs used in its ThinkPad notebooks—Dell and Toshiba each said on Sept. 29 that they will also recall Sony-made batteries.

      On Sept. 29, Toshiba announced that it will start a battery exchange program for approximately 830,000 Sony battery packs that were made for its notebooks, a company spokesman told eWEEK.

      While Toshiba, based in Irvine, Calif., has not experienced any problems associated with the faulty Sony batteries so far, Eric Paulsen, the company spokesman, said the company decided to start the exchange program after Sony announced it would begin a worldwide global recall program.

      Toshiba is not yet offering a list of specific notebook models that may have used the Sony battery packs. Paulsen said the company will keep its users informed through its Web site.

      After the Toshiba announcement, Fujitsu Computer Systems confirmed that it would also start a voluntary battery pack exchange program for its customers. In a statement, a spokeswoman said the company was still gathering information and specific notebook models that use the Sony battery packs would be listed on its homepage.

      On a statement posted on its Web site, Round-Rock, Texas-based Dell said it will recall an additional 100,000 Sony-based battery packs used in its notebooks. That number brings the total amount of battery packs the company has been forced to recall to 4.2 million.

      The latest announcements by Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo, coupled by an additional 1.8 million tainted batteries used in some Apple Computer notebooks, bring the total Sony recall to more than 7.3 million battery packs worldwide.

      Given that failures with the battery cells appear to be fairly rare—Dell, Apple and Lenovo reported having seen fewer than 30 incident of problems for their combined 6.5 million shipments—the companies say they are erring on the side of caution. Lenovo issued its recall after a single incident.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifClick here to read the complete details about battery pack recalls for Lenovos ThinkPad notebooks.

      Dell was the first company to announce a recall, announcing on Aug. 15 that it is recalling 4.1 million notebooks that used Sony lithium-ion battery packs. Apple followed a few weeks later, and Lenovo announced Sept. 28 that it will ask users to change batteries in certain ThinkPad models.

      All four companies affected by the recall have said the batteries will be replaced for free, with Sony shouldering most of the financial burden.

      On the same day that Lenovo announced its recall with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, Sony issued a statement that it will begin a global battery recall.

      “We believe that this program is in the best interest of both our customers and all consumers,” the company said in its statement. Details of the plan were not released, and a CPSC spokesman said the federal agency will have no comment until the program is formalized.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifWhat is Dell doing to help customers with its battery recall? Click here to find out.

      The battery cells themselves, which are usually arranged in groups of six inside a battery pack, are at the heart of the problem. Metal particles introduced during manufacturing could cause a short circuit inside one of the cells, which can lead to a fire.

      Before the recall was announced, several people reported that their laptops had caught fire. The latest happened earlier this month, when a ThinkPad T43 model notebook caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport.

      Despite the fact that more than 7 million batteries have been recalled, many analysts have said the effect on the white-hot notebook market has been hard to gauge one way or another.

      Thus far, relatively few users of Dell and Apple notebooks have come forward to have their notebook batteries replaced, analysts said.

      Given that the recalls were widely publicized, the response thus far could signal a lack of worry among customers, one industry watcher said.

      Editors Note: This story was updated to include information from Fujitsu Computer Systems.

      /zimages/6/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news in desktop and notebook computing.

      Scott Ferguson

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×