Nikon Recalls Battery Packs

Camera company says select rechargeable battery packs with model number EN-EL3 could possibly short circuit, causing them to possibly melt.

Today Nikon, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a voluntary recall of around 200,000 rechargeable battery packs for Nikon Digital SLR D100, D70, and D50 cameras. The reason for the recall is that the battery packs could potentially short circuit, causing them to overheat and possibly melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

The rechargeable battery packs have the model number EN-EL3 written on the side of the battery. The batteries are rated at 7.4V/1400mAh, which also is written on the battery.  The battery is included as a power source for Nikon’s digital SLR D100, D70, and D50 model cameras.  The battery pack was also sold separately.

The battery packs were sold nationwide and online from May 2004 through November 2005 for about $50 for the battery only and about $800 to $1500 when sold with a digital SLR camera.

Nikon said that consumers with these battery packs should contact Nikon’s Web site to determine if it is included in the recall. If so, they should stop using it immediately. Nikon will provide a free replacement battery pack.