Worldwide Sony battery recall may grow

Major Japanese electronics maker Fujitsu today said it would decide soon on a recall on laptops using Sony-made batteries that have already been behind a recent massive global recall.

Fujitsu spokesman Masao Sakamoto said the Tokyo-based company would make a decision soon.

The news follows an announcement from Sony asking manufacturers using its problem batteries to carry out exchanges.

Overnight, IBM and Lenovo, the world’s third largest computer maker, said they were seeking the recall of rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries purchased with ThinkPad computers.

In August, Dell asked customers to return 4.1 million batteries, and Apple recalled 1.8 million batteries worldwide, warning they could catch fire

Last week, Toshiba said it was recalling 340,000 laptop batteries, also made by Sony, but due to a different problem that caused the laptops to run out of power.

The recall involving Sony batteries is a major embarrassment for the Japanese electronics and entertainment powerhouse.