Recalls Worth Metioning: DYMO Power Adapters and Lithium-Ion Laptop Batteries

Posted on 30 October 2008, at 10:22 pm, by Judie Lipsett

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I received notice tonight from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission of two recalls which might concern some of you; both pose a fire or burn hazard.

The first is for the DYMO® LabelWriter® Power Adapters used with printers, and the second is for Lithium-Ion Batteries used in Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell Notebook Computers. If it’s possible that you might have products affected by the recall, please take a moment to check and be safe.

DYMO Recalls Power Adapters Sold with DYMO® Printers Due to Burn Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product.

Name of Product: DYMO® LabelWriter® Power Adapters used with printers

Units: About 17,000

Manufacturer: DYMO, of Stamford, Conn.

Hazard: The power adapters can fail, causing the printer to overheat. This can pose a burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: DYMO has received 11 reports of printers overheating and emitting smoke and/or a burnt smell. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves the external power adapters sold with the following DYMO LabelWriter® 400 series printers: DYMO LabelWriter 400, DYMO LabelWriter 400 Turbo, DYMO LabelWriter Twin Turbo, DYMO LabelWriter Duo and DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution with housing date codes 2407, 2507, 2607 or 2707.

The date code is printed on the plastic housing of the adapter.

Power adapters with “RoHS” printed on the top right of the product label are not included in this recall.

Sold by: Office supply stores, discount retailers, and various specialty retailers nationwide from September 2007 through October 2008 for between $100 and $250.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately unplug the recalled power adapter from the wall socket and from their printer and contact the firm to receive a free replacement external power adapter kit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact DYMO toll-free at (888) 658-3904 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET or visit the firm’s Web site at www.dymo.com or http://global.dymo.com/poweradapter.

PC Notebook Computer Batteries Recalled Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firms named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Lithium-Ion Batteries used in Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell Notebook Computers

Units: About 35,000 batteries (an additional 65,000 batteries were sold worldwide)

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corporation, of Japan

Hazard: These lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 19 reports of the batteries overheating, including 17 reports of flames/fire (10 resulting in minor property damage). Two consumers experienced minor burns.

Description: The recalled batteries were included with, and sold separately for use in, the following notebook computer models:

click for larger view

The battery model is located on the battery’s label.

Sold by: Computers with the recalled batteries were sold directly by Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell, through computer and electronics stores nationwide, and through various Web retailers for between $700 and $3000. The batteries were also sold separately for between $100 and $160.

* Hewlett-Packard – sold from December 2004 through June 2006

* Toshiba – sold from April 2005 to October 2005

* Dell – shipped between November 2004 and November 2005

Battery Cells Manufactured in: Japan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately remove the recalled battery from their notebook computer, and contact their computer manufacturer to determine if their battery is included in the recall and to request a free replacement battery. After removing the recalled battery from their notebook computer, consumers may use the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives. Consumers should only use batteries obtained from their computer manufacturer or an authorized reseller.

Consumer Contacts: For additional information, consumers should contact the manufacturer of their notebook computer:

* Hewlett-Packard Co. – http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement or call (800) 889-2031 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.

* Toshiba – http://www.bxinfo.toshiba.com or call (800) 457-7777 anytime.

* Dell – http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com or call toll-free (866) 342-0011 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.