Lenovo has recalled battery packs for a number of its ThinkPad laptops after discovering a fire hazard risk.
The company initiated the battery recall on Thursday following two reports of battery packs overheating, resulting in damage to computers, battery pack and nearby property in North America as reported by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC).
Lenovo in a statement said the lithium-ion batteries in question were shipped worldwide included in various ThinkPad notebook models between October 2010 and April 2011 sold via authorised dealers or through its official online store. The batteries were also sold separately as spare parts.
The recall applies to approximately 34,500 batteries that were sold in the U.S. and 2,900 batteries sold in Canada. The recalled battery packs are in the ThinkPad Edge 11, 13 and 14 series laptops, and also T410, T420, T510, W510, X100e, X120e, X200, X201 and X201s laptops.
Consumers, in order to identify the affected battery pack, can check the white sticker below the bar code, starting with the number ‘four’ in a long series of numbers as: 42T4695, 42T4711, 42T4798, 42T4804, 42T4812, 42T4822, 42T4828, 42T4834, 42T4840 and 42T4890.
Alternatively, consumers can even head to the company’s battery recall webpage to know if their battery is being recalled.
Lenovo has warned customers with affected batteries to stop using their laptops immediately. Users can however keep using their ThinkPad notebooks without the battery pack by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord.
“Until a replacement battery arrives, you should turn off the system, remove the battery, and only power your ThinkPad by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord,” the company said.
The company also said it is offering to replace batteries free of charge regardless of warranty status and the replacements will be shipped within three business days once the company has been notified.
