HP took a generous slice of humble pie on Thursday when they issued a voluntary recall of the Lithium-ion batteries installed in their notebook PCs. Affected machines include nine of the Pavilion series, nine in the Presario series, the G6000, G7000 and Compaq 6720s. The official list of affected units appears on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

The problem with the notebooks was the battery, which is susceptible to overheating. According to the official report, “the recalled lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.” Thankfully, no injuries have resulted from the overheating batteries, but HP does have complaints of at least two batteries that have overheated and ruptured. The batteries pose a serious fire hazard.

The number of affected units is approximately 70,000 throughout the United States and Canada. Those who have units that are part of the recall should immediately remove the battery. The computer may still be used, but only while plugged in without the battery. HP will provide a free battery replacement for any faulty batteries.  

Last year, HP experienced a similar incident when they installed Sony-manufactured batteries that were also subject to overheating. That recall affected 32,000 batteries. In 2006, a massive recall of Sony batteries affected Dell, HP, and Apple computers. 

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