Following two incidents in which overheated batteries caused damaged to property, the company has announced a worldwide voluntary recall and replacement programme for battery packs used in certain HP notebook PCs. Saturday, May 16, 2009: HP, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other safety regulatory authorities, is voluntarily recalling some 70,000 laptop batteries due to a fire hazard. HP and the battery cell manufacturer believe that certain battery packs shipped in HP notebook PC products manufactured between August 2007 and January 2008 may pose a potential safety hazard to customers. The batteries being recalled are made in China. The company, however, did not disclose the name of the battery manufacturer.
The recalled lithium-ion batteries are from: nine models of HP Pavilion, nine models of Compaq Presario, two models of HP and one model of HP Compaq. HP also warned, "The recalled batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers." The company has also advised consumers with the affected batteries to stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
HP said the company is aware of two reports of batteries that have overheated and ruptured, resulting in flames that caused "minor property damage". However, no injuries have been reported.
HP customers with a battery pack affected by this programme will be eligible to receive a replacement battery pack for each verified and recalled battery pack at no cost.
The company said in a statement, "Consumers should immediately remove the recalled battery from their notebook computer and contact HP to determine if their battery is included in the recall and to request a free replacement battery. After removing the recalled battery from their notebook computer, consumers may use the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives. Consumers should only use batteries obtained from HP or an authorised reseller."
All HP notebooks sold in US from hp.com as well as hpshopping.com (from August 2007 through March 2008 for between $500 and $3000) are eligible for battery pack replacement programme. The battery packs were also sold separately for between $100 and $160.
Models that can contain a recalled battery include:
HP Pavilion
dv2000
dv2500
dv2700
dv6000
dv6500
dv6700
dv9000
dv9500
dv9700
Compaq Presario
A900
C700
F700
V3000
V3500
V3700
V6000
V6500
V6700
HP
G6000
G7000
HP Compaq
6720s
In case, you have one of the notebook models listed above, then immediately check the battery pack number by removing the battery from the back panel. Click here to know if you have an affected battery pack.
If your battery number is in the above list, then contact the HP Customer Care at the following numbers: 1800112267 (BSNL/MTNL lines within India), 30306363, 011-26388000
Customers also can call 800-889-2031 to get worldwide support.
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