by CIO Staff

Lenovo Looks Into Smoking, Sparking Laptop

News
Sep 25, 20062 mins
Laptops

Lenovo Group, the world’s number three producer of PCs, has launched an investigation into the cause of a Sept. 16 incident in which a Lenovo ThinkPad T43 laptop fitted with a Sony-made battery began smoking and sparking at Los Angeles International Airport, the company said on Monday, Reuters reports.

A Lenovo spokesperson in Tokyo said the incident did not lead to any injuries, and that the cause of the smoke and sparks is still unknown, according to Reuters.

The news comes a month after Dell, the world’s largest producer of PCs, recalled 4.1 million batteries that contained Sony-made fuel cells due to potential fire hazard.  Less than two weeks later, Apple Computer recalled 1.8 million batteries with Sony-made cells, and last week, Toshiba said it would exchange 340,000 Sony-made batteries.

The Lenovo spokesperson said the Lenovo laptop involved in the incident at the LA airport was running on the same batteries that were recalled by Sony and Dell, Reuters reports.

Sony said it is cooperating with Lenovo in its probe; however, it also noted that it is not sure the laptop at issue contained a Sony-made battery, according to Reuters.

Related Links:

  • Apple, Dell Plot Battery Standards

  • Toshiba Offers to Exchange 340K Sony-Made Batteries

  • Dell to Recall 4.1M Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

  • Apple to Recall 1.8M Laptop Batteries

  • PC Vendors Blame Batteries, Not Notebook Design

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