From the Dark Side--Dell Issues Battery Recall Today After Notebooks Burn

Dell has identified problems with batteries for its Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Precision mobile workstation. The press release states in part,

"Dell is today [Tuesday] announcing the voluntary recall of approximately 4.1 million Dell-branded lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony. Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could cause a risk of fire."

Furthermore,

"Dell sold or provided these batteries with the notebook computers, as part of a service replacement, and as individual units from April 1, 2004, through July 18, 2006."

More details about the Dell Battery Recall Program are available from this Dell Web site.

We're glad to see this recall finally happening as we have been thinking about traveling by air with so many Dell's in circulation and so many recent instances of Dell notebooks that simply caught fire and burned up. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]