Hewlett-Packard and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced that the U.S. PC maker plans to recall an additional 54,000 lithium-ion batteries due to a possible fire risk.
The company has recalled more than 120,000 battery units over the past year.
The Chinese-made batteries were originally recalled last May -- and more than 70,000 were recalled. This latest recall will include at least 54,000 units. The new recall includes additional HP and Compaq notebooks, a necessary step because the batteries can overheat and catch on fire.
Faulty notebook batteries can rupture and then catch on fire once excess heat builds up and isn't properly released. The problem is related to when batteries are plugged in and charging too long, the CPSC noted. Specifically, the faulty batteries were sold from August 2007 to July 2008, and were sold with notebooks and as individual battery backs.
The May 2009 recall took place due to two confirmed fire-related incidents -- and 38 more cases of overheating were reported. Of the 38 new cases, 11 minor injuries happened after the batteries overheated.
There has been a major quality control issue with batteries made in China. Sony had to recall upwards of 10 million notebook batteries more than three years ago. Another Sony battery recall took place in 2008. Several other recalls related to overheating batteries have made headlines in recent years, with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and several lawmakers concerned with overall product quality.
The CPSC officials noted the PC industry is currently working to develop new battery technology, but it is unknown when this technology will be available. I'm curious if U.S. manufacturers will be told to make sure their battery products, especially Chinese-made products, are safe for use before being sold in the United States.
