HP recalls 101,000 laptop batteries due to fire concerns
Affected models were sold between March 2013 and October 2016.
HP is asking the owners of some laptop models to send their batteries in for a replacement to make sure their devices don't catch fire. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice about the recall, which affects around 101,000 computers. Those who have HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion laptops purchased between March 2013 and October 2016 may want to check their lithium-ion battery. If its bar code starts with 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL or 6EBVA, the company says the best course of action is to pull it out and contact HP for a free replacement.
According to the CPSC notice, HP has received an "additional report of the battery overheating, melting and charring and causing about $1,000 in property damage." The electronics maker issued a recall for 41,000 batteries in June 2016, but this new report compelled it to do another round. Lithium-ion batteries are prone to overheating and catching fire -- the Samsung Note 7 fiasco is the perfect example -- and this is far from the first time HP's had battery troubles. It recalled hundreds of thousands of batteries over the past few years for the same reason. And until the electronics industry finds a better battery tech or a way to prevent lithium-ion-related fiery mishaps, tech companies will have to continue dealing with the same issue.
