Lenovo and IBM announced a global recall of more than 526,000 Sony-made lithium-ion batteries used in ThinkPad laptops, citing overheating risks and potential fire hazards. The recall was triggered by an incident at Los Angeles International Airport, where a ThinkPad caught fire while its owner was boarding a plane, requiring a fire extinguisher. No injuries were reported.
The action was coordinated with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and announced roughly two weeks after the airport incident. Lenovo estimated that between 5 and 10 percent of ThinkPads sold from February 2005 through late September 2006 were affected. Replacement batteries will be provided free of charge, and Sony has agreed to share the costs.
The recall involves the same Sony battery cells at the center of Dell's earlier withdrawal of 4.1 million laptop batteries, considered the largest consumer electronics recall in US history. Dell had acted after multiple reports of laptops catching fire, including incidents aboard aircraft.
Lenovo urged affected users to remove their batteries and run their machines on external power until replacements arrive. The company established telephone hotlines worldwide and a dedicated website to manage the recall process.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.