Common Sense

Dell has issued a recall on 4.1 million laptop batteries.

Dell Inc. said Monday it will recall 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they can overheat and catch fire. Dell negotiated conditions of the recall with the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, which called it the largest electronics-related recall ever conducted by the agency.

A Dell spokesman said the batteries were made by Sony Corp. and placed in notebooks that were shipped between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year.

I have an Inspiron 1500 widescreen that I got in April 2004, so I will probably have to get a replacement battery. Hopefully an 8-hour battery instead of the constantly-needs-recharging 4-hour battery that can catch on fire that I have now.

For safety’s sake, the news report says that if you have an affected model, you should only run it on the power cord, which is what I do most of the time. A Web site and some further details will be available Tuesday.