Vaio batteries risk catching fire warns Sony
Sony has requested customers to stop using the company’s Vaio Fit 11A laptop as soon as possible.
Sony has received three reports of batteries overheating causing partial burns to Vaio computers. The first incident was in Japan on March 19, followed by similar incidents on March 30 in Hong Kong and April 8 in China. Sony stopped selling the computer at the beginning of April 2014.
Sony recalled about 535,000 Vaio laptops world-wide in 2010 due to a temperature-control defect that may cause excessive heat and distort the shape of the laptop.
The Vaio Fit 11A laptop is the final version of the Vaio series because Sony revealed plans in February 2014 to sell the company’s personal computer business.
Sony is identifying the affected computers by serial number and developing a program to repair or replace them. The company advised it would provide details on its home page within two weeks.
Sony claims to have sold a total almost 26,000 units of the Vaio Fit 11A world-wide since it first went on sale in February 2014 with 7000 being shipped in Europe,
Panasonic has confirmed the company provided the batteries to Sony under an outsourcing contract. The batteries were customized according to clients’ requirements. Panasonic claimed it has not heard of any problems with batteries supplied to other clients.
Related articles and links:
www.sony.com
News articles:
Tesla car battery fires caused by road debris damage
Sticky composites deliver lithium-ion battery safety breakthrough
FAA review addresses Boeing 787 Dreamliner safety fears
Copycat batteries threaten ‘increased fire risk’ on planes
Can gum reduce lithium ion battery fire hazard?
