IBM said on Thursday it will recall about 553,000 AC power adapters worldwide for several laptop models because of potential fire and electrical shock hazards.
According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, the adapters have the potental to overheat, causing damage to the circuit board and melting through the housing, which poses a fire and electrical shock hazard to consumers.
IBM has received six reports of incidents, including some with minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.
The recalled 56W AC power adapters were shipped primarily with IBM ThinkPad i Series, 390 and 240 Series, and s Series notebook computers. The adapters have three hollow pins at the AC inlet and part number 02K6549 on a label on the top of the unit. The IBM logo appears on top of the unit. Adapters with solid pins are not included in this recall.
The adapters were manufactured in China and sold nationwide in electronics and computer stores nationwide, on IBM’s website, via phone orders, catalogs, and computer resellers. The recall covers adapters sold with ThinkPad laptops from January 1999 through August 2000. The adapters also were sold as an accessory during that time for about $55.
Consumers that own the affected adapter should unplug the recalled adapters from the wall outlet immediately and contact IBM for a free replacement unit. For replacement, call IBM at (800) 410-5629 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or log on to IBM’s replacement unit website at www.adapterprogram.com.
