05/24/2010 // West Palm Beach, Florida, USA // Nicole Howley // Nicole Howley
San Francisco Bay, CA—About 54,000 lithium-ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard and Compaq notebook computers have been voluntarily recalled by Hewlett Packard Co., of Palo Alto, Calif. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The recall was announced by the CPSC on May 21, 2010.
The recall was initiated after discovering hat the batteries can overheat, potentially resulting in a fire and burns to the consumer.
Previously, in May 2009, Hewlett Packard recalled 70,000 lithium-ion batteries over hazards. Since that particular recall, HP has been alerted of 38 additional cases of batteries overheating and rupturing. Those cases caused 11 instances of minor personal injuries and 31 instances of minor property damage.
The CPSC stated, “The recalled lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are used with various model series of HP and Compaq notebook computers. The chart below includes all notebook model numbers associated with batteries recalled to date. The computer model number is located at the top of the service label on the bottom of the notebook computer. Not all batteries matching the bar codes are being recalled.”
A full list of notebook model numbers and battery bar codes can be found on the CPSC press release.
The recalled products were sold at computer and electronic stores across the U.S., and through hp.com and hpshopping.com. The products were sold from August 2007 through July 2008 for between $500 and $3,000. The battery packs were also sold separately for between $100 and $160.
Consumers are advised to remove the batteries immediately and contact HP or refer to the list of recalled batteries to see if your battery is included in this recall. Free replacement batteries are available to consumers with the recalled batteries. Until a replacement battery arrives, consumer can use their AC adapter to power the computer without the battery in place. HP advises that only batteries obtained from HP or an HP authorized reseller be used with HP notebook PCs.
For more information, consumers can contact the HP Battery Replacement Program website at http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement or call (888) 202-4320 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
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