Toshiba Recalls 100,000 Laptop Batteries Because of Fire Risk

If you’re reading this on a Toshiba laptop, shut down your computer immediately and remove your battery. Your laptop can function off the charger without the battery in place, and you may have just saved yourself from painful burns – or, in a worst-case scenario, shrapnel injuries and a house fire.

Toshiba announced a recall in January, but the US Consumer Product Safety Commission boosted concern in late March after complaints of melting batteries increased the risk of dangerous fires. Over 100,000 of the defective Panasonic batteries were sold in the United States and Canada; the company is offering free replacements for affected laptops.

Who is at risk

Gizmodo reported, “The company announced that some of the lithium-ion Panasonic battery packs are prone to overheating which could spark fires and puts customers at risk for burns… The batteries were sold within 39 models of the Toshiba Portege, Satellite, and Tecra laptops.”

To find out if your laptop is affected, shut it down and remove the power pack. Batteries with serial numbers that start with “G71C” should not be reinstalled. Instead, you can continue using your laptop by plugging in the charger. If your battery is part of the recall, visit go.toshiba.com/battery to arrange for a free replacement.

Why you should be worried

Lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion for short) have revolutionized portable power. They charge quickly and discharge slowly, maximizing time away from an outlet. All of the science that goes into a Li-ion battery is about precisely managing large amounts of electricity; when internal components are even slightly misaligned, or the device is overcharged, the batteries can discharge explosively.

Remember the hoverboard? It was the toy of the season last year; since the holidays, the US has banned imports of the toys because the mass-produced Li-ion batteries that powered them caused fires around the country. In some cases, shopping centers were evacuated; in others, families lost their homes. If you’ve never seen what an exploding Li-ion battery looks like, watch this video. It’s absolutely terrifying.

Defective products can cause serious injuries and, in this case, result in devastating property damage. Thankfully, no one has been injured so far, but with 91,000 units in the United States alone, the odds are not in our favor. If a defective product has injured you or a loved one, you may be entitled to compensation. The experienced South Carolina defective product attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, can evaluate your case and get you the compensation you deserve. Call us at 803-327-7800 or contact us today for a free consultation.