Toshiba Forced To Recall 340,000 Laptops Over Battery Concerns
Posted September 19, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Just weeks after Dell and Apple were both forced to recall millions of laptop computers over fears their batteries could explode comes a new callback from yet another electronics giant.
Toshiba is bringing back 340,000 laptops worldwide, because they contain a Sony battery.
But unlike the recalls from last month, which centered on concerns the power source could ignite into a fire on a user’s lap, this unhappy return is more about the life of the battery itself.
Toshiba has received complaints from users that a fully charged battery will suddenly lose power, causing their machines to quit without warning. The models affected are the Dynabook and Satellite laptops made between March and May of this year.
Most of the affected machines are in the U.S. and Japan, but the makes were sold around the world – including Canada. The replacements will be supplied free of charge.
It’s another blow for Sony, which has already been embarrassed by being in the middle of the largest electronics recall in consumer history.
In August, Dell was forced to take 4.1 million machines back to the shop. Apple followed soon after with a recall that returned 1.8 million computers. Both were over reports of Sony batteries bursting into flames.
Many airlines have since banned the laptops for fear of what a sudden fire could do in the air, while others will only allow the PCs on planes if they’re plugged in with the battery removed.
The latest problem couldn’t come at a worse time for the Japanese giant. Sony has been trying to bolster its image in the wake of intense competition that has seen its products dip in sales over the past few years.
The company has already been forced to temporarily cancel the launch of its PlayStation 3 over production problems surrounding a Blu-ray DVD disc component.
And its new digital Walkman won’t hit the shelves as scheduled because of a malfunction of an unspecified part of the portable music player.
