Lenovo Inc. and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. announced last week that they are voluntarily recalling about 205,000 packs of 9-cell Lithium-ion extended-life battery packs used in Lenovo’s ThinkPad notebook computers. The move comes after Lenovo received four reports of the batteries getting overheated and damaging the notebook. The companies are claiming that the recall is not because of an internal battery cell defect.
Lenovo confirmed that notebook computers containing the recalled battery packs may overheat, posing a potential safety hazard to users if the battery pack experiences a strong external impact. Lenovo advised customers to determine if they are using one of the recalled battery packs. Sanyo issued a similar statement, claiming that, while the pack fully satisfied specifications and internal testing standards, the incidents occurred due to a strong external impact to the battery pack of a specific notebook PC model from a certain angle.
Lenovo advised consumers who have battery packs affected by this recall and who intend to transport their ThinkPad or use it in a manner that may subject it to a strong external impact, to continue to use their computer by turning off the system, removing the battery, and only power the ThinkPad by plugging in the ac adapter and power cord.
