Skip to main content

News

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 Sony battery fault hits Lenovo

Linda Rosencrance

  • Email to a friend
  • Print this article
  • Bookmark this page
  • RSS feed

A Lenovo laptop computer that burst into flames at Los Angeles International Airport last Saturday was most likely the result of a defective Sony battery, according to a Lenovo spokesman.

"We can confirm that laptop was a Thinkpad T43 with a Sony battery - the same Sony battery that was subject to the recent recalls by Dell and Apple," Gorman said. The defect in those batteries is caused by a short circuit that occurs when microscopic metal particles break through the lithium ion cell wall and make contact with a battery anode, Sony said.

"Our first priority is public safety, so we're taking this incident very seriously," he said. "We're investigating it thoroughly."

Within 12 hours of the incident, Lenovo had a team at the airport, Gorman said. They took the notebook and flew it to the Lenovo lab in Japan.

"They're looking at it further right now," he said.

An unidentified witness who said he was a passenger on another flight, posted an account at the Something Awful website.

"We should know more about this in the next couple of days," Gorman said. "But the investigation will take another 24 to 48 hours and then we will do whatever is in the best interests of our customers."

Email A Friend

Email this article to a friend or colleague:



PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.

<<prev article | back to news index | next article>>

Latest News


More news...