BANGALORE: As part of a worldwide effort, HP India has begun to recall defective batteries that can overheat and pose a fire and burn hazard to consumers, sources told TNIE on Friday.
The notebooks with troubled batteries cover a wide range of models that were sold worldwide, including India, between August 2007 and March 2008. It is safe to run the notebooks on AC power adapter till the defective batteries are replaced, a statement from HP said.
Sources in HP India clarified that the company was recalling only the removable batteries ‘‘of certain notebook products’’ and not notebooks themselves. They were, however, unable to provide the precise number of notebooks with defective batteries, sold in India, but said they expected the number to be small.
Around 200,000 notebooks sold worldwide seem to be affected by the problem. Sources said HP has begun to contact registered customers through ‘‘emails and physical letters”. HP call centers have also begun calling up affected customers and customer service centers had been geared up to the handle replacements, they added.
Concerned customers can also visit www.hp.com/support/ batteryreplacenment to find directions on removing and checking their batteries. If found defective, batteries would be replaced free of charge between seven to ten days, sources said. Three years ago Sony batteries faced a similar overheating problem and affected computer manufactures such as Dell. Sony ultimately recalled more than 10 million batteries.