Hewlett Packard Recalls Laptop Batteries due to Potential Fire Hazard

Sarah Cool

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The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has released news of a voluntary recall of lithium-ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard laptop computers. The voluntary recall went into effect last Thursday, causing many people to turn their laptop computers upside down and look at the model number that appears on the top of the service label stuck to the bottom of the laptop. The model numbers of the batteries recalled include those with the following bar code labels:

62940^^AXV^^^^65033^^B7U^^^^
65033^^B7V^^^^
65033^^BGU^^^^65035^^B7U^^^^
65035^^B7V^^^^
65035^^BGU^^^^
65035^^BGV^^^^67059^^V8U^^^^
67059^^V8V^^^^

Already, two batteries with those bar code labels have overheated and ruptured, resulting in fires that caused property damage. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. HP has asked all users of HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario, HP, and HP Compaq to check their batteries and if needed, contact HP for a free replacement. It is estimated that as many as 70,000 computers may be affected by the recall. Many of those computers affected may have been manufactured in China and distributed via HP in Palo Alto, California. Because many were sold through hp.com and hpshopping.com, all users should check their laptop or notebook batteries. Users can visit the HP Battery Replacement Program Web site at http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement or call (800) 889-2031 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. While users are waiting for replacements, they should use the AC cord without the battery while waiting for the replacement.