Posted 10/29/09 at 09:40:46 AM by Paul Lilly

Here's a recall you don't see very often. Sony, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a voluntary recall of some AC adapters in use on certain all-in-one Vaio desktops and Vaio docking stations.

According to the safety notice, faulty insulation inside the AC adapter can fail over time, which then poses an electrical shock hazard. So far there have been four reports of the affected adapters short circuiting, none of which occurred in the U.S., but no one has been injured.

The recall affects AC adapter model VGP-AC19V17. These were supplied with certain all-in-one Vaio desktops (VGC-LT series and VGC-JS2 series) and Vaio docking stations (VGP-PRBX1 and VGP-PRFE1) sold through various outlets between September 200 through October 2009.

If you have one of these adapters, Sony advises turning off the PC and unplugging it right away. You can contact Sony for a replacement either by calling 877-361-4481, or by visiting the firm's website at esupport.sony.com/ac19adapter.

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Posted 10/13/09 at 01:25:03 PM by Paul Lilly

Over the weekend, Acer issued a voluntary safety recall for several of its Aspire notebooks, noting that a misplaced cable could pose an overheating hazard. But not to worry, say Taiwan notebook makers, who insist the recall is not indicative of a production issue.

Instead, the sources note the issue is most likely due to a defective assembly process and has nothing to do with the overall design of the affected models. Even though the high-density cable used in ultra-thin notebooks are more than capable of overheating the units, notebook makers say that current cooling technologies are more than up to the task.

This isn't the first time in recent memory Acer had to issue a recall because of an overheating hazard. Back in March of this year, Acer said it had received two reports of its Predator desktop PCs short circuiting, resulting in melted internal components and external casing. Acer determined that the problem would occur when insulation on the internal wiring would become bent or stripped.

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Posted 10/12/09 at 11:45:23 AM by Paul Lilly

Acer over the weekend issued a voluntary safety recall for several Aspire notebook models that the company warns could overheat under specific conditions.

According to Acer, affected models include the AS3410, AS3810T, AS3810TG, AS3810TZ, and AS3810TZG manufactured prior to September 15, 2009. Said models suffer from a defect whereby the microphone cable is prone to overheating when "extreme pressure is applied repeatedly to the left palm rest." In such cases, Acer says units could become warped or stop working altogether.

If you think you may have an affected unit, Acer has set up up a website where you can enter your serial number or SNID to find out for sure.

Recall Notice and Lookup Form

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Posted 05/15/09 at 10:08:15 AM by Paul Lilly

Hewlett-Packard this week announced a voluntary recall of roughly 70,000 Chinese made lithium ion batteries. The potentially defective batteries can be found on a number of both HP and Compaq branded notebooks. These include the following:

• HP dv2000, dv2500, dv2700, dv6000, dv6500, dv6700, dv9000, dv9500, dv9700
• Compaq A900, C700, F700, V3000, V3500, V3700, V6000, V6500, V6700
• HP G6000, G7000
• Compaq 6720s

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the recalled batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. So far there have been two reports of overheating and ruptured batteries, which resulted in flames and property damage, but no injuries.

If you own one of the above models, it's not automatic that your battery has been recalled. Specific serial numbers apply, which you can view here. If your notebook is on the list, the CPSC advises that you remove the battery immediately and contact HP for a replacement.

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Posted 03/20/09 at 09:46:53 AM by Paul Lilly

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and while we described Acer's Predator PCs as looking "hot," we meant it figuratively, not literally. As it turns out, it didn't matter how me meant it, because according to Acer, who has issued a recall, the high-end gaming rigs are prone to overheating posing a potential burn hazard.

"Acer has received two reports of computers short circuiting, resulting in melted internal components and external casing. Neither incident occurred in the U.S. No injuries have been reported," Acer wrote in its recall notice.

Acer said the problem occurs when insulation on the affected machines' internal wiring becomes bent or stripped, causing the wires to overheat. The recall includes model numbers ASG7200 and ASG7700, which Acer says were sold by computer and electronic stores nationwide from May 2008 through December 2008.

If you have one of these models, Acer says you should stop using it immediately and contact them at 866-695-2237 or visit Acer's website.

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Posted 10/15/08 at 05:41:37 PM by Pulkit Chandna

After it was revealed that some of the Asus Eee Box PCs sold in Japan came with a preloaded virus, the Taiwanese company ordered a recall of all such infected PCs. Now, Asus has placed the entire blame on a second-tier Chinese OEM that had been tasked with the responsibility of manufacturing Eee PCs for the Japanese market.

The unnamed OEM had been chosen in order to cut costs, but eventually became the source of embarrassment for Asus. The company now plans to transfer Japanese Eee Box PC orders to other second-tier OEMs.

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Posted 09/05/08 at 12:41:45 PM by Paul Lilly

Most times when you read about a notebook recall the problem typically stems from a defective battery. But that's not the case with Sony's voluntary recall of 440,000 Vaio TZ notebooks. Sony says "irregularly placed wires near the hinge, or a dislodged screw inside the hinge, may create a short circuit, causing localized overheating." Affected models include:

• VGN-TZ100 series
• VGN-TZ200 series
• VGN-TZ300 series
• VGN-TZ2000 series

The issue potentially affects all modes sold between July 2007 and August 2008. If you own one of the above models, Sony advises visiting http://esupport.sony.com/fixmypc where you'll be prompted to input your product code and serial number to see if your unit is affected. Alternately, you can call 1-888-526-6219, and if your model qualifies, Sony will provide a free inspection and on-site repair.

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Posted 07/27/08 at 12:52:31 AM by Paul Lilly

It's been a rocky summer for Nvidia, who earlier this month saw its shares tumble downward after announcing it was setting aside a one-time hit of $150 to $200 million to cover warranty and repair costs associated with an "abnormal failure rate" in its mobile graphics cards. Now it appears that tough times are still ahead for the graphics card maker.

Citing un-named sources, DigiTimes claims that the faulty mobile parts have led to some channel vendors demanding graphics card parnters to issue a recall for desktop-based videocards using the same GPU core. Nvidia has maintained that the problematic parts only affect a few specific notebook models and no desktop cards, but some have suggested it could include all G84 and G86 parts.

This isn't the first rumor Nvidia's been entangled with in recent times, and as with all hearsay, take this one with a grain of salt.

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