Apple Recalls 1.8 Million Batteries
Where there’s smoke, there’s… The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the following recall Thursday: rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony for certain previous iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebook computers only. The commission advises removing these batteries immediately from the computers and storing them in a safe place to prevent a fire hazard.
Consumers are then directed to copy down the battery’s serial number and to call Apple’s Recall Hotline (800) 275-2273 or the CPSC Hotline (800) 638-2772. A replacement battery can be ordered free of charge, and consumers should plug in the AC adapter to power the computer until the replacement battery arrives.
Approximately 1.1 million Sony battery packs stateside 700,000 packs outside the United States have been recalled due to reports of overheating. According to the CPSC, Apple has received nine reports of batteries overheating, including two reports of minor burns from handling overheated computers and other reports of minor property damage. No serious injuries were reported. The lithium-ion batteries were used with the 12-inch iBook G4, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 and the 15-inch PowerBook G4. The computers were sold from October 2003 through August 2006 for retail prices between $900 and $2300. The batteries were also sold separately for approximately $130.
Computer model name Battery model number Battery serial numbers/b>
12-inch iBook G4 A1061 ZZ338 through ZZ427
3K429 through 3K611
6C510 through 6C626
12-inch PowerBook G4 A1079 ZZ411 through ZZ427
3K428 through 3K611
15-inch PowerBook G4 A1078 and A1148 3K425 through 3K601
6N530 through 6N551
6N601
No other Apple notebook computers are involved in this recall.
Consumers can also log on to Apple’s Web site at http://support.apple.com/batteryprogram to check the battery’s serial number and request a replacement battery.
A PRNewswire report released a statement by Sony:
“At this time, Sony anticipates no further recalls of battery packs using these particular battery cells. The recall arises because, on rare occasions, microscopic metal particles in the recalled battery cells may come into contact with other parts of the battery cell, leading to a short circuit within the cell. Typically, a battery pack will simply power off when a cell short circuit occurs. However, under certain rare conditions, an internal short circuit may lead to cell overheating and potentially flames. The potential for this to occur can be affected by variations in the system configurations found in different notebook computers.”
Sony has introduced a number of additional safeguards into its battery manufacturing process to address this condition and to provide a greater level of safety and security. But this does not cover the fact that Dell had a “historic” recall recently and now Apple is the next victim. The recall is the second-biggest safety recall ever in the U.S. electronics industry, after Dell.
Last week, Dell announced a recall of 4.1 million batteries, the largest recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry. Dell’s batteries used cells manufactured by Sony that could potentially short-circuit and cause a fire, even if the notebook is off.
“Apple’s 1.8 million recalled batteries represent about 32 percent of the nearly 5.6 million laptops the company shipped during the quarterly periods covered by the recall, according to IDC.” Dell’s recall, though larger in number, represents a smaller portion of its sales, because it sold 22 million laptops during the period covered by its recall, the IDC stated. (The number of batteries recalled does not necessarily mean that 1.8 million laptops were affected, as some users purchase more than one battery for their systems.)
According to CNet News.com, an Apple representative said the company does not expect the recall to have a material financial impact on the company. “We discovered that some Sony batteries in previous models of Power PC-based PowerBooks and iBooks do not meet Apple’s standards for safety and performance,” company spokesman Steve Dowling said. “None of Apple’s Intel-based laptops are affected.” Dowling declined to say when Apple discovered the problem.
Sony confirmed that Apple’s batteries are using the same faulty battery cells that were used in Dell’s batteries. Different notebook makers use slightly different configurations of battery cells and battery packs, but both Dell and Apple used the same basic cell that can be prone to short circuits in rare cases, said Rick Clancy, a Sony spokesman.
Fortunately for Sony, the company believes that it is done replacing bad battery cells. “We’re anticipating no further recalls of battery packs using these particular cells,” Clancy said in the CNet report.
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Comments
I have the PowerBook 17 G4 and it isn’t on the list. So, what is the difference between its battery from those of the PB15 and PB12? Not made by Sony?
Hee hee… somebody forgot to close the bold tag.
I’ve tried to request a new battery via the website for my mid-2005 iBook. The serial number on my battery begins 6C530, which lies within the range that should get replacements, however the site reports “This serial number is invalid or does not qualify for the program.” Anyone else get this?
HAHAH, Dell really sucks having to recall all those batteries because they have no quality control and they SUCK!!....
Huh?
It’s Apple too?
Oh. Then kudos to Apple for nipping this in the bud and taking care of their customers the way they always do!
UPDATE: Statement Regarding Status of Battery Recall Including Information for Consumers Who May be Impacted
This past Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Apple Computer announced a voluntary recall of lithium ion battery packs used in certain Apple notebook computers originally manufactured by Sony. This follows a similar recall announced by Dell Computer last week.
At this time, Sony and the CPSC anticipate no further recalls of battery packs using these particular battery cells because incidents resulted from variations in the system configurations of notebook computers produced by specific manufacturers. Sony has introduced a number of additional safeguards into its battery manufacturing process to address this condition and to provide a greater level of safety and security. We believe the issue has been addressed to the satisfaction of our customers.
Sony is committed to the safety of consumers and is working with the two computer manufacturers to ensure that the batteries are replaced in a timely fashion.
We encourage consumers who may be impacted by this recall to contact their notebook manufacturer or visit the following web sites for additional information:
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html
Portable Rechargeable Battery Association: http://www.prba.org/lithium_ion_safety.html
Corporate Site
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200608/06-0825E/
I bought a replacement battery for my Dell laptop about a month ago from http://www.laptopsforless.com/laptopbattery and it works great. Is there any reason to think that a replacement laptop battery would be any worse than the manufacturers? Are there any quality issues?