Dell battery issues known eight months ago; Sony implies overheating related to Dell charging process

A recall of 22,000 Dell notebook computer batteries in December 2005 was apparently a harbinger of Dell's current battery headaches. Some time after that first recall, Dell contacted Sony about the problem, which was fixed starting with Sony batteries that shipped in February of this year, according to this Wall Street Journal story (requires WSJ online subscription to access).

The December recall (see CPSC, Dell Announce Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries) appears to be a subset of the current recall (see Dell Announces Recall of Notebook Computer Batteries Due To Fire Hazard), although a few batteries on the December recall are not on the latest recall list. The December recall cites the same overheating problem (although doesn't specify the actual defect) and includes models on the original recall list plus many others. So why did it take so long for Dell to issue a broader recall?

I asked Dell about the relationship between the two recalls and why the broader recall, which involved some 4.1 million devices, took so long to announce. Here is a Dell spokesperson's response:

"With regard to the relationship of the recalls, we are not providing specifics other than to say that we were evaluating this issue prior to the incident in Japan that you may have seen on the Web. We take safety issues very seriously and are constantly looking at data related to our customers' overall product experience. Although this is a very rare type of occurrence, we decided to undertake a broad action to ensure the safety of customers."

Dell isn't the only vendor that uses Sony batteries. So why haven't other suppliers had similar problems? In that same WSJ story (Recall Shows Battery Limits, August 18) Sony spokesperson Takashi Uehara implies that the way in which Dell recharges its batteries is different from that of over vendors and that this might explain why only it is having problems with the defective batteries. From the story:

Batteries overheat only in rare cases, Mr. Uehara said, and such events are likely linked to how the computer is set up for recharging: The battery typically is charged via the computer, which is connected to an electrical cord.

That might be why computer makers besides Dell -- for which Sony also supplies the battery -- haven't encountered the same problem as Dell, Mr. Uehara said. Sony, which also makes the battery for its own Vaio laptops, has heard of no problems with them.

Related News and Opinion:

• Robert L. Mitchell: Sony: Apple, Dell chargers may contribute to battery overheating problem
• IT Blogwatch: Now it's Apple's Sony battery aggro (and zoo@home)
• Apple to recall 1.8 million laptop batteries
• Sony: Apple, Dell chargers may contribute to battery overheating problem
• IT Blogwatch: New Vista build floats by, Dell hell continues (and subliminal bear)
• Alex Scoble: Thoughts on Dell and their PR woes
• Alex Scoble: The great laptop vs desktop debate - Part 1