Dell has announced its largest product recall to date. The company said yesterday that it would recall about 284,000 batteries used in its notebook computers. According to the firm, the batteries can overcharge, causing them to become very hot, release smoke and possibly catch fire.
'Dell has received one customer report of a battery in a Dell computer overcharging in this manner, resulting in minor property damage. No injuries were reported,' the firm said in a statement.
The recalled batteries were sold with the Dell Inspiron 5000 and Inspiron 5000e series notebooks. The computer manufacturer shipped computers with these batteries directly to customers between January 2000 and March 21 2001.
The recall effects all batteries sold by Dell or its distributors, both individually and with notebooks. The computers themselves are not being recalled.
The batteries are labelled 'DELL(TM)', 'MADE IN JAPAN,' and 'Inspiron 5000 Battery Module'