HP Recalls 100K Laptop Batteries over fire concerns

HP is the latest company to recall batteries. The headline “HP recalls over 100,000 lithium-ion batteries over fire concerns” has been doing rounds for some time now.

It seems that Samsung is not the only tech giant that has faced fire woes. However, HP has been on the bandwagon of recalling faulty batteries for quite some time now.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement that suggested that the batteries would be recalled for safety reasons.

In June 2016, HP recalled 41,000 batteries in the US but it has decided to expand the recall involving lithium-ion batteries in HP notebooks. These were shipped between 2013 and 2016.

The second recall was prompted by reports of an overheated system that caused charring and resulted in damage to property.

In a statement, the commission added that consumers should immediately stop using batteries affected by the recall.

It further advised them to remove the batteries and plug them into AC power should they want to use their notebooks.

Read also: Samsung Planning to Refurbish and Sell Galaxy Note 7?

A spokesperson from HP confirmed that the faulty battery problem affected less than 1% of all HP laptops sold within the recall period.

The recall affects laptops under the HP brand and Compaq.

How do I know if my HP is affected by this recall?

Well, devices affected include HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP Envy, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion laptops. The replacement of the faulty HP batteries is done at no cost. And rightly so.

Moreover, the official HP recall battery list can be identified using bar codes. HP has provided bar codes of batteries that may be affected.

The patterns are: 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL, and 6EBVA.

This is not the first HP batteries recall since the company has a history of recalling its notebook batteries.

In 2011, the company recalled over 162,000 notebook batteries.

That’s not all; the company had recalled batteries in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010. In May 2009, the company recalled 54,000 batteries. The 2016 HP battery recalls did not, therefore, come as a surprise.

Apart from Samsung and HP recalls, other companies such as Garmin and Sony have recalled products. Sony, for instance, recalled 535,000 Vaio laptops over overheating issues in 2010.

It is a bit puzzling that giant manufacturers continue to release faulty products in the market. It seems that they do not do proper testing on each unit.

Consumers should never have to worry that a device might put them at risk but the numerous reports of recalls are not reassuring.

It’s a high time that electronic companies improve safety standards for their products.

Greater emphasis needs to be placed on battery safety since it is becoming increasingly scary to purchase products from some brands.

While Samsung was applauded for its accountability and transparency during the Note 7 recall, there is the need to improve the standards of developing the lithium-ion batteries.

Recalls of batteries and other electronic products should not be a thing in 2017.

Companies and consumer organizations should work together to ensure that there is no repeat of past recalls in the New Year.

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