Dell Vostro 1520 battery and Dell Latitude E6400 battery replacement

by fiona lee laptop charger and laptop battery garden

Computer maker Dell today said it will recall 4.1 million laptop computer batteries because of a potential fire hazard. It's reportedly one of the largest consumer electronics recalls in history.

The lithium-ion batteries being recalled are installed in 2.7 million Dell Latitude E4200 AC Adapter sold in the United States and 1.4 million sold overseas between April 2004 and July 18 of this year, Dell said.

"Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could cause a risk of fire," Dell said in a statement. The comapany said the overheating was caused by a manufacturing defect in batteries made for it by Dell Vostro 1710 AC Adapter.

Customers may continue to use the laptop computers safely by turning the system off, ejecting the battery, and using the Dell Latitude C600 AC Adapter
and power cord to power the system until the replacement Dell Latitude E6400 battery is received, the company said.

Models Affected

The recalled Dell Inspiron 1525 battery were sold with the following Dell notebook computers: Dell Latitude D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810; Inspiron 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705; and Dell Precision M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations; and XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710.

The batteries were also sold separately, including in response to service calls. The words "Dell" and one of the following are printed on the batteries: "Made in Japan" or "Made in China" or "Dell Vostro 1520 battery Cell Made in Japan Assembled in China," Dell said.

Dell urged customers to visit the firm's Web site beginning at 1 a.m. U.S. Central Daylight Time Tuesday or call toll-free at 1-866-342-0011, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. Dell is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, near Austin.Dell Inspiron 700m AC Adapter

In past instances of battery recall, Dell and the CPSC urged consumers to stop using the laptops' batteries until they received a replacement. Lithium-ion batteries also are used in cell phones, camcorders, digital cameras and other consumer electronics products.

Dell said it is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in conducting the recall. The federal agency described it as the largest recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry, according to published reports.Dell Inspiron 1318 AC Adapter

According to the CPSC, lithium-ion batteries have been cited in recalls of other laptop models, including computers from Hewlett-Packard and from Apple Computer.