In a statement issued to customers (PDF), Sony has recommended its users to immediately cease using some of its laptops from its VAIO selection because of a fire risk from its batteries that are reportedly overheating.
The VAIO Fit 11A models that were affected were sold by Sony in February of this year and the batteries were manufactured in China and Panasonic was the third-party supplier. If the battery packs overheat then it could cause serious burns. There have been three cases so far of laptops catching on fire.
Battery packs with the number “SVF11N1XXXX” are affected.
“It has come to our attention that some of the internal, non-removable battery packs provided to us by a third party supplier and included in the VAIO Fit 11A have the potential to overheat, resulting in partial burns to the housing of the PC,” Sony said in its notice. “If you have one or more of the VAIO Fit 11A models listed please immediately discontinue use, shut down and unplug the PC.”
It is currently in the midst of establishing a returns program that is expected to launch within the next two weeks in which Sony will then make another announcement. The battery packs cannot be removed and this means customers will be left without a laptop to do work, surf the web or watch videos for an unspecified period of time.
“We are currently identifying affected PCs by serial numbers and developing a program to repair or replace the affected PCs at no charge, or to refund the purchase price for the affected PCs,” the company added in its statement.
Sony UK, meanwhile, is recommending users to telephone a hotline and utilize a serial number checker to find out what corrections need to take place. Unfortunately, the same kind of program has yet to be created in the United States.
This isn’t the first time that computer battery recalls have been made.
Earlier this year, Lenovo was prompted to recall more than 150,000 battery packs – 34,500 in the U.S., 2,900 in Canada and 117,700 in China – for its ThinkPad line. The international personal computer leader warned of the battery packs being a fire hazard because of overheating which would then cause serious damage to the computer.
In recent years, Sony’s VAIO brand has failed to compete with other companies such as Dell, HP and Lenovo, despite the accolades that the technology firm received in the last decade for its high-end machines and being a great computer for Microsoft Windows.