Sony Issues Recall Of Vaio TZ Laptops Due To Overheating Concerns

Sony Corp. announced that it will recall approximately 440,000 Vaio portable computers due to faulty parts that could trigger overheating. This is one of the largest computer recalls since a similar one by Dell Inc. in 2006 (Dell recalled over 4 million notebook computer batteries due to similar problems related to overheating and fires).

According to a Sony spokesman, there are currently around 72,800 computers in the United States alone awaiting recall. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission said that Sony has received 15 reports of overheating and one of a consumer suffering minor burns.

Sony said that the recalls involve 19 models of Vaio TZ laptop series manufactured between May 2007 and July 2008, including three export models. The laptops in question are the Sony VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000 series, and the problem is related to "irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or dislodged screw inside the hinge". This is stated to be a cause of short circuiting and overheating.

Sony says, "This poses a burn hazard to consumers. Sony has initiated a voluntary program to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards."

The year 2006 saw Dell, Apple Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd., Toshiba Corp. and other PC makers recall more than 8 million Sony batteries. Sony has declined to comment on the potential cost that it will incur due to the recall.