Sony to recall another quarter million batteries
This time for Sony laptops
By Dean Pullen: Tuesday 24 October 2006, 09:25
SONY HAS STATED that intends to recall a further 250,000 batteries contained within Sony branded laptops worldwide.
Sony previously said it would recall 90,000 batteries for its own laptops in only Japan and China, but we already know Sony hate Europe.
Sony has reportedly set aside ¥51 billion ($427 million) for costs related to the recalls of its batteries used in its own laptop PCs as well as in computers made by other manufacturers including Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Apple, and Dell.
Considering the long list of companies that have recalled Sony batteries over the last couple of months, it's surprising how long it's taken Sony to recall batteries from self-produced notebooks.
It's one thing to appear calm and collected, ensuring panic doesn't spread amongst your customers, but the damage and recalls were made sometime ago.
Just why has it taken Sony so long to have finally seen sense and make these recall arrangements, and why have Sony customers been waiting so long compared to other manufacturers?
Gateway opens up to Sony battery recall plan
By Tony Smith
24th October 2006 10:14 GMT
Gateway has become the latest notebook computer supplier to recall Sony-made laptop batteries. It has asked for some 35,000 lithium-ion power packs to be returned. The batteries could, under "very rare circumstances" overheat and catch fire, Gateway said, though it claimed it has not heard of any instances of this happening with its machines.
Gateway laptops covered by the recall began shipping in September 2005 or later. The model numbers are the CX200, CX210, E100M, M250, M255, M280, M285, M465, M685, MP8708, NX260, NX510, NX560, NX860, NX100, MX1025, MX6918b and MX1020j. Full details can be found on the company's website.
Gateway's announcement was accompanied by a a US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statement adding that batteries from Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba are also being recalled, putting the formal stamp on battery recalls already announced by these companies in the States and overseas.
The US recall amounts to some 340,000 units, but all four firms' actions should see the return of around 3.42m battery packs worldwide, the CPSC said. ®
