Explosions Cause HP to Recall More Than 50,000 Batteries

By Ian Bell May 21, 2010

Hewlett-Packard Co. is recalling 54,000 lithium-ion batteries used in HP and Compaq computers after receiving reports of injuries from the batteries overheating and rupturing.

The recall was announced Friday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and expands an earlier recall of 70,000 of the same type of batteries.

Recommended Videos

The earlier recall came after two reports of the batteries overheating. The commission said that since then, HP has received 38 additional reports of the batteries overheating, causing 11 minor injuries. Those people were burned when they handled computers whose batteries had ruptured, said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson.

Batteries can rupture if they’ve been charged too long and don’t have a good way to regulate the excess heat. Wolfson added that the industry is working to change that.

HP says the computers at issue were sold in stores and online from August 2007 through July 2008. The battery packs were also sold separately.

Friday’s recall pales in comparison to the recall in 2006 and 2007 of nearly 10 million of a model of Sony batteries that were used by almost every major PC manufacturer.

Topics

Laptops

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Computing

HP might have the fastest AI laptop to date — and I tried it

HP EliteBook X G1a front angled view showing display and keyboard.

HP is in the process of redoing its product lines, with the OmniBook lineup taking over all of its consumer machines including budget, midrange, premium, and gaming laptops. The EliteBook remains as its business laptop line, and the new EliteBook X G1a is the latest machine that leverages AMD's Ryzen AI series of chipsets in the "Next Gen AI PC" initiative.

The EliteBook X G1a introduces several new features aimed at those tasks that businesspeople want the most, and I received a preproduction unit to take a look at. I can't provide benchmarks or test some of the more advanced features that aren't available yet. But the EliteBook X G1a is a tantalizing vision.
Design

Computing

Best Buy’s $420 discount for this HP Envy 2-in-1 laptop ends today

The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 laptop on a white background.

If you're having trouble deciding between Prime Big Deal Days laptop deals and Prime Big Deal Days tablet deals for your next purchase, we're happy to report that the HP Envy x360 16 2-in-1 laptop will give you the very best of both worlds. It's also currently available at a steep $420 discount that slashes its price to only $680 at Best Buy right now (down from its original $1,100 price tag). But there's a catch -- since this offer is a part of Best Buy's 48-hour Flash Sale, you'll have to act fast before the sale event ends.

Save 33% on HP's 2-in-1 laptop during Best Buy's 48-hour Flash Sale
The HP Envy x360 16 is the more affordable cousin of the HP Spectre x360 16, but it's still pretty reliable with its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, integrated Intel Graphics, and 16GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is on the level of top-tier machines. It also has Windows 11 Home pre-installed in its 1TB SSD, which will provide you with ample storage space for all of your most-used apps and important files.

Computing

Woah! HP’s 15-inch touchscreen laptop is 45% off at Best Buy

The HP 15.6-inch fd0025st Windows 11 Laptop.

For a laptop that's reliable and versatile with just the right amount of performance for most people, you can't go wrong with the HP Laptop 15. The best part? It's currently 45% off at Best Buy during their 48-hour sale event (competing with Prime Big Deal Days) -- with a $260 discount that drops its price down to a budget-friendly $320 (down from its standard $580 price). There are only a few hours left on this offer, though, as their sale coincides with the end of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days deals, so if you want to take advantage of it, you're going to have to add it to your cart as soon as possible.

The HP Laptop 15 has everything you need — at a nearly half-off discount
One of the major features of the HP Laptop 15 is its 15.6-inch touchscreen that comes with HD resolution. In addition to its keyboard and mouse, having the touchscreen as an input option increases the versatility of how you use the HP Laptop 15, as there are simply some websites and apps that work better with touch commands. The laptop ships with Windows 11 Home in S Mode pre-installed in its 512GB SSD for an operating system that maximizes the capabilities of its touchscreen.