HP has announced it is recalling lithium-ion batteries that are used with certain HP and Compaq computers. The battery packs can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. HP has received seven reports of the battery packs overheating, melting or charring, including four reports of property damage of about $4,000 total.
Because these batteries pose a fire and burn hazard, it is extremely important for customers to check whether their batteries are affected, and to cease use of affected batteries immediately. Customers may continue to use their notebook computer without the battery installed, by connecting the notebook to external power.
The recall includes 41,000 batteries in the United States, plus thousands more that were sold in other countries. The affected batteries contain Panasonic cells. The batteries are compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion notebook computers. The batteries included in this recall have the following barcodes printed on the back: 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL and 6EBVA.
They were manufactured in China and sold at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Costco and authorized dealers nationwide and online at www.hp.com from March 2013 through August 2015. The batteries were sold with notebook computers for between $300 and $1,700. The batteries were also sold separately for between $50 and $90. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled batteries, remove them from the notebook computers and contact HP for a free replacement battery.
