Sony Will Start Global Replacement Program for Notebook Battery Packs

Sony Corporation will initiate a global replacement program for certain battery packs that utilize Sony-manufactured lithium ion cells used by notebook computer manufacturers in order to address concern related to recent over-heating incidents.

The company is discussing this plan with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and will coordinate with other government authorities as required. More details will be announced in the near future.

Sony has been supporting the recall of battery packs for Dell and Apple. According to the company, on rare occasions, microscopic metal particles in the recalled battery cells may come into contact with other parts of the battery cell, leading to a possibility of short circuit within the cell. Typically, a battery pack will simply power off when a cell short circuit occurs.

However, under certain rare conditions an internal short circuit may lead to cell overheating and potentially flames. The potential for this to occur can be affected by variations in the system configurations found in different notebook computers.

Sony will consult with its OEM customers that utilize these battery cells and work with those that choose to participate regarding quantity and the scheduling of replacement battery packs.