By James Wells
Sony Australia has confirmed that there will be no Vaio recall and has issued a web notice to prevent any burn injuries by recommending that it is the laptop owner's responsibility to fix the problem.
According to overseas reports, there have been 39 cases of Vaios overheating which have led to some cases being damaged but no personal injury.
“This is definitely not a recall. Sony has not referred to it as a recall in any market around the world. Sony has made the decision to make this announcement in order to avoid any potential burn injury. The affected VAIO product is not being recalled. This potential issue can be rectified with a software update conducted by the VAIO owner,” a spokesperson for Sony Australia told Current.com.au this afternoon.
In its notice which commenced with the line “Sony takes pride in the quality of its products”, Sony Australia confirms they have recently “become aware of a potential issue affecting VAIO notebook models VPCF115FG, VPCF116FG and VPCF117HG, available on the Australian market since January 2010.
The notice continued:
“In rare cases, these notebook computers can overheat due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system.
“If you own a VAIO notebook with the model names above, Sony recommends that you download and install a BIOS firmware update specifically designed to prevent the potential overheating,” the letter said.
“If you have any questions or need additional assistance installing the BIOS firmware update, please contact Sony technical support for further assistance.
“We take the quality of the products we sell very seriously and make every effort to ensure that the products we develop meet your expectations.
“We sincerely apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for using VAIO. Sincerely, Your VAIO Support Team.”