You would think they would have this lithium-ion technology figured out by now. After Sony’s multi-million dollar snafu with exploding laptop batteries last year, consumers are on edge about the packs that power their technology, and the latest news won’t make the situation any better. Gateway issued a new recall for 14,000 laptop batteries on Tuesday, citing concerns with overheating and potential fire damage.
The company has received four complaints about such battery malfunctions leading up to the recall, including some that caused minor property damage. The problematic packs were originally sold between May and August 2003 with Gateway 400VTX and 450ROG notebooks. Consumers can identify them by the serial numbers 6500760 or 6500761, along with a “Made by SMP” sticker.
Because Gateway sells directly to consumers and has their contact information on file, the company plans to get in touch with customers who may have the batteries and give them information on how to have them replaced. The faulty batteries were manufactured by Samsung and Simplo Technology Co. A Gateway spokesperson told Computerworld that they expect the companies to help cover the cost of replacing the errant batteries.
