Fire danger sparks recall of Dell laptop batteries

DELL is recalling 4.1 million laptop computer batteries because they pose a fire risk.

In rare cases, the Sony-made batteries can short-circuit and overheat, Dell warned.

Dell announced the recall in the US last night after negotiations with the US federal Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The move follows reports of about half a dozen fires or smoking laptops in the US, Sony said.

More than a million of the batteries are thought to have been sold outside the US. Figures for the number sold in Ireland were not available.

The Dell-branded batteries were used in laptops supplied between April 1, 2004, and July 18, 2006, the company said.

They were sold either separately or with Dell Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Dell Precision Mobile Workstation laptops.

The words Dell and “Made in Japan” or “Made in China” or “Battery cell made in Japan, Assembled in China” are printed on the back of the batteries.

Dell is urging customers to check via its website if their batteries are subject to the recall.

Customers whose battery identification numbers match those being recalled will be connected to a replacement order form.

Affected battery packs should be returned to Dell for disposal. The company will supply free replacement batteries to affected customers.

Affected batteries should not be used by customers waiting for replacement packs. Laptop computers should instead be plugged into the mains, Dell said.

The recall comes after Dell pulled 22,000 laptop batteries in December because of a potential fire risk. In 2001 it recalled 284,000 batteries for the same reason.