By James Wells

SYDNEY: Dell Australia has announced a local recall of laptop batteries manufactured by Sony Corporation, which has become the largest consumer electronics recall in US history.

According to a statement released by the Product Safety Section of the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), the batteries were supplied to local customers between 1 April 2004 and 18 July 2006 either by way of purchase or by way of a service replacement.

“Batteries were either sold separately or with the following Dell notebook computers: Dell Latitude™ D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810; Inspiron™ 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705; Dell Precision™ M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations; and XPS™, XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710,” the statement said.

According to the recall notice, ‘Dell’ and one of the following are printed on the defective batteries: ‘Made in Japan’ or ‘Made in China’ or ‘Battery Cell Made in Japan Assembled in China’.

The identification number for each battery appears on a white sticker. Customers should have this number available when they contact Dell to determine if their battery is part of the recall.

The recall has been initiated after Dell learned of six cases since December 2005 in the North America where notebooks overheated or burst into flames because of a problem in the fuel cells of its lithium-ion batteries.

The batteries, which were included in 2.7 million PCs in North America and 1.4 million PCs elsewhere globally, were made in Japan and assembled in China by Sony workers.

A spokesperson for Sony Australia today reiterated the company’s position on the issue.

“This is not a Sony recall, this is a Dell recall. We recommend consumers and retailers to contact Dell regarding the recall. However, we will be supporting Dell with this recall on a global basis.”

To contact Dell go to www.dellbatteryprogram.com or call toll free 1300 734 947 between the hours of 9.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday.