Sony has issued a recall on a slew of their LCD Bravia TVs that were built after 2007. The sets reportedly have a faulty component that could cause them to smoke, catch fire, or even melt. The recalls have currently been announced in the US, Europe, and Japan.
A total of 1.6 million sets fall under the recall which includes Bravia models KDL-40D3400, KDL-40D3500, KDL-40D3550, and KDL-40D3660 as well as a few other sets. The faulty component which causes overheating, smoking, fire, or melting is in the backlight systems for the LCD sets in question.
The Sony Europe site has an official statement about the recall saying,
"We have recently become aware of a potential issue affecting a very limited number of Bravia LCD TV models, which have been available for purchase in Europe since June 2007."
That site shows the method to check the particular model of Bravia TV you own.
Bloomberg interviewed a Sony representative who told the site that there have been 11 reported incidents involving the faulty component in Japan since 2008. There have been no injuries reported and no incidents have been reported outside of Japan. It turns out that only 189,00 of the 1.6 million TVs in question were actually sold in Japan so most of the affected sets are likely in the US and Europe.
Sony is obviously going to repair the sets in question if the faulty part is found. The company will dispatch a crew to inspect the set and remove it for repair if necessary. The company may offer a rental TV to be used while repairs are being made though there are not any details confirming that. Yuki Shima, a Tokyo-based Sony spokesperson has said the company will not offer refunds or replacements on the recalled sets, only repairs.
Sony’s television department has not had stellar performance in recent quarters, driving shareholders to push for the TV division to be spun off. Kaz Hirai, Sony's second-in-command, still thinks making and selling televisions is an integral part of Sony’s business.
Hirai talked with The Wall Street Journal back in August saying,
"We all know it's a challenging business, but that doesn't equate to 'We should be out of the TV business.' The question that needs to be asked, which I am trying to engage in very aggressively, is, 'What does it take to turn the business around?' as opposed to, 'Let's leave the business or other options.'"
It does seem a bit drastic to demand that Sony leave the TV business due to poor earnings in that area. Other companies like Samsung and especially Vizio are outperforming Sony in the TV market but the company is not the worst by a long shot.
Do you own one of the sets in question? If you do and you end up getting it repaired drop a line on this post to give us some insight into the process.
