On Friday, Dell announced additional laptop battery recall information. It has now increased the number of recalled Sony batteries from 4.1 million to nearly 4.2 million. Dell is recommending that consumers check their batteries if they have not yet ordered or received a replacement. Information on which batteries are affected is available at www.dellbatteryprogram.com.
On Thursday, Sony announced the start of a global replacement program for battery packs that use Sony-manufactured lithium ion cells in an attempt to address concerns over the over-heating issue.
Sony is currently working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and will work with additional government agencies as necessary. More details will be announced in the near future.
Small metal particles within the recalled batteries may come into contact with other parts of the battery, causing a short circuit. When a short circuit occurs, some batteries have been overheating and catching fire instead of powering off, Sony said.
Major Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. said Friday that it is recalling 830,000 batteries made by Sony for its laptops, the latest in a growing global recall involving Sony batteries.
The latest announcement brings the tally of recalled batteries to about 7 million worldwide.
Fujitsu, another major Japanese company, also will be making a decision soon about its laptops using Sony lithium-ion batteries, said spokesman Masao Sakamoto.
Overnight, IBM Corp. and Lenovo Group, the world’s third-largest computer maker, said they were seeking the recall of 526,000 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries purchased with ThinkPad computers after one of them caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport this month.
The recalls involving Sony batteries are the largest-electronics-related recall in U.S. history. It’s a major embarrassment for the Japanese electronics and entertainment powerhouse, which is in the midst of a major overhaul of its operations, closing plants, shutting divisions and trimming jobs.
Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama contributed to this article.