The ACCC has issued a recall notice for the charger cable on the HP Chromebook 11 due to the potential for charger to overheat. Supplied in Australia by Google, developer of the Chrome-based operating system, the Chromebook was sold in JB Hi-Fi stores in New South Wales.
According to the recall notice, the charger for the HP Chromebook 11 (model number MU15-N1052-A00S) may overheat and/or melt.
“If the HP Chromebook 11 Charger overheats or melts, the risk is potential dermal injury and damage to materials from contact with an overheated charger,” the ACCC recall read. “There may also be a potential fire risk, although no fire has been reported.”
Google will be contacting affected consumers directly to organise a free replacement charger. In the mean time, consumers are advised to stop using the charger; a standard micro-USB charger can be used to power the Chromebook.
The recall follows a statement issued by Google and HP on Google’s blog announcing that the company was pulling the Chromebook 11 from sale.
“Google and HP are pausing sales of the HP Chromebook 11 after receiving a small number of user reports that some chargers included with the device have been damaged due to overheating during use,” Google’s VP of product management, Caesar Sengupta, wrote on the Google Chrome Blog.
“We are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission [the US equivalent of the ACCC] to identify the appropriate corrective action, and will provide additional information and instructions as soon as we can.”