ThinkPad battery packs could be fire hazard

Thinkpad
Beware of the faulty Thinkpad battery

Lenovo has recalled some of its ThinkPad battery packs over fears that they might overheat and catch fire.

According to a statement from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in a statement, that the recall applies to 34,500 batteries sold in the US and 2,900 batteries sold in Canada.

However, the problem appears to be in China too, the company has recalled 117,732 units.

Certain models

The faulty battery packs are in the ThinkPad Edge 11, 13 and 14 series laptops, and also T410, T420, T510, W510, X100e, X120e, X200, X201 and X201s laptops.

Batteries eligible for recall were also sold separately for between $80 and $150. They were all sold between October 2010 through April 2011.

So far, Lenovo has received two reports of battery packs overheating, which led to computer and property damage.

Web page

The company has set up a Web page so users can determine if their battery is being recalled.

The faulty battery packs can be identified through part numbers starting with the fourth digit on a white sticker below the bar code. The identifiable numbers are 42T4695, 42T4711, 42T4798, 42T4804, 42T4812, 42T4822, 42T4828, 42T4834, 42T4840 and 42T4890.

Lenovo said replacements will ship within three days after they have been contacted so users will not have to wait long.