HP Recalls 101,000 Laptop Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

Published on: January 26th, 2017

HP has issued a recall today for 101,000 Panasonic batteries that the company used in various laptop and notebook models, sold between March 2013 and October 2016.

This is the second recall HP has issued in the past year, after it previously recalled 41,000 laptop batteries in June 2016.

HP says that only the batteries are faulty, and not the laptops. The company is asking consumers to reach out and request a replacement battery.

HP: Use affected laptops, notebooks on AC power only
According to HP, using the batteries is dangerous. Until a replacement battery arrives, HP advises that customers only use their laptops into AC power only.

The faulty batteries have been used in HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion notebook computers.

Users that are in a position to open their laptop’s casing and look at the battery can check its barcode and see if it starts with one of the following strings: 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL, and 6EBVA.

HP utility tells you if your laptop is affected
The company has also set up a website where it offers a free utility that users can install on their devices and see if they use one of the faulty batteries.

The portal holds information on both recalls, the one from last June and the one announced today. Because some of the faulty batteries have been sold separately, as replacements, the website also offers instructions on how to check the battery’s serial number (barcode) manually.

The batteries are black, measure about 8 to 10.5 inches long, 2 inches wide and about 1 inch high.

According to HP the faulty batteries will overheat and sometimes catch fire. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it already received a report about an HP laptop’s battery that overheated, melted, charred, and caused $1,000 in property damage.

The recall also covers Mexico and Canada, where HP has sold over 4,000 and 3,000 products with suspected faulty batteries.