HP Recalls About 101,000 Laptop Batteries Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

In a new development, HP is recalling specific laptop batteries due to fire and burn hazards. The company is looking to recall as many as 101,000 laptop batteries worldwide, soon after this defect came to light. Notably, the latest action by the company is an expansion of the recall from June 2016, which saw 41,000 batteries recalled.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a fresh notice informing users that HP has recalled more than 100,000 lithium-ion batteries made by Panasonic used in its notebook computers. CPSC says that these batteries sold in a specific timeframe tend to overheat, and can pose 'fire and burn hazards'.

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As a safety measure, HP has recalled specific batteries compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP Envy, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion laptops purchased between March 2013 and October 2016. The affected batteries feature bar codes starting with 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL, and 6EBVA - if you have any of these batteries, you should follow the company's recommended course of action. For immediate safety protocol, users with these laptops are asked to remove the battery from the laptop right away, and use the laptop by connecting to external power. Take the removed battery to the nearest service centre for more information on replacement. Furthermore, batteries sold as accessories or spares, or provided as replacements through support also need to be checked and replaced.

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"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled batteries, remove them from the notebook computers and contact HP for a free replacement battery," the company warns. As we mentioned, the company has also listed the affected battery bar codes of the above mentioned notebooks for a more structured recall.

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An HP spokesperson further told CNET, 'The problem affected less than 1 percent of the HP laptops sold during the time frame.' In June 2016, HP did its first recall for the same issue with as many as 41,000 lithium-ion batteries in the US, citing the same reason as above. At that point, HP had received seven reports of battery packs overheating, melting or charring, including four reports of property damage of about $4,000 total. The expanded recall issued this week as after it received one additional report, causing property damage worth roughly $1,000.

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Of course, lithium-ion batteries overheating and catching fire is nothing new, and the general public was recently shown a harsh reminder with the infamous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 controversy, where several units of the smartphone exploded or caught fire due to faulty batteries. The incidents caused Samsung to recall over 2.5 million smartphones, and saw airlines and aviation authorities across the world ban the transport of the smartphone.

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