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HP Inc recalls 101,000 laptop batteries before they halt and catch fire

Poor Panasonic power packs pinpointed

HP Inc is warning that over 101,000 laptop batteries sold in the US, Canada, and Mexico are at risk of catching fire, and it would like them back please.

The new recall is an extension of an earlier announcement in June, which covered more than 40,000 batteries. The US Consumer Product Safety Division advisory states that the batteries in question were manufacturered by Panasonic in China. One battery has already overheated and caused around $1,000 of damage.

"The batteries are compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion notebook computers. HP has expanded the number of recalled batteries, which were shipped with notebook computers sold between March 2013 and October 2016," it states.

"The battery bar code is printed on the back of the battery. 'HP Notebook Battery' and the model number are printed on the battery. The batteries included in this expanded recall have bar codes starting with: 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL and 6EBVA."

The Canadian recall notice states that, in all, HP sold 5,700 batteries in Canada, 142,900 in the US, and 8,500 in Mexico. It reports nine cases of the batteries overheating or catching fire in Canada and the US, and no reported cases in Mexico.

"Customers should cease use of affected batteries immediately," HP warned.

"Customers may continue to use their notebook computer without the battery installed, by connecting the notebook to external power. HP's primary concern is for the safety of our customers. HP is proactively notifying customers, and will provide a replacement battery for each verified, eligible battery, at no cost."

For IT admins who don't want to spend the entire day checking each corporate laptop, HP has released software that can automatically check for dodgy power packs – although you'll need .net Framework 4.5 and HP CASL Framework to run it. ®

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