Toshiba issues battery recall due to potential fire hazard

Toshiba has launched a worldwide recall and replacement program of certain battery modules found on Toshiba notebooks as they may overheat, burn, and catch on fire if subjected to extreme conditions. The scale of the recall is rather sizable as the new exchange program includes both business and general consumer notebooks manufactured anywhere from June 2011 to January 2016. The recall pertains to specific Panasonic battery packs only.

Owners can check the official Battery Replacement Program page for information on how to identify and replace affected models. Toshiba offers both a downloadable utility and a list of models, which includes an awfully long selection of brands (Portege, Satellite, Tecra, Satellite Pro) that may differ depending on the region in which they were sold. Toshiba is recommending users to turn off and remove the faulty battery until a replacement is received.

The recall is another blow to Toshiba's notebook arm as it had already announced a partial withdrawal from the market. In particular, the manufacturer will begin offering fewer consumer notebooks in favor of more lucrative business and professional notebooks.

Microsoft, Fujitsu, and Sony have also faced similar recalls relating to power adapters or overheating battery packs.

Source(s)