Sony Vaio Laptops Recalled Over Hazard Concerns

By: Sara Smith
Staff Writer
Published: Sep 5, 2008

Sony has launched a voluntary recall of 438,000 Vaio laptop computers. The company is taking extra precautions due to a potential hazard that could overheat or possibly burn a user.

Sony Corp has recalled more than 438,000 Vaio laptop computers, citing a potential hazard that could cause the machines to overheat. The defect could possibly burn a laptop user.

The recall is one of the largest in two years. In 2006, Dell Inc recalled 4.1 million notebook computer batteries because they could overheat and catch fire.

The company received 15 reports of overheating. One consumer suffered a minor burn.

The defect is in models VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000. The problem is related to wires that are positioned too close to the laptop's hinge. The wire can short circuit and begin to overheat.

"This poses a burn hazard to consumers," Sony said in a statement. "Sony has initiated a voluntary program to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards."

In 2006, Dell, Apple Inc, Lenovo Group Ltd, Toshiba Corp and some other PC makers recalled more than 8 million Sony batteries for potential fires.