Dell recalls batteries

Some six weeks after the Dell exploding laptop erupted into the media, Dell have finally decided to recall over four million batteries.

While it's the biggest recall, it isn't an isolated case. In the last year we have seen Apple Mac, HP and Dell have smaller recalls.

According to Dell's blog, this is something they have thought long and hard about before acting.

Our recommendations are straightforward:

Only buy genuine batteries. As this article shows, Lithium Ion batteries are precision instruments. Badly built batteries increase the risk of failure.

Damaged LiOn batteries are a risk, if you think your phone, laptop or cordless drill's battery may have been dropeed or damaged. Buy a new one.

If you notice the battery is misbehaving by discharging quickly, getting unusually hot or becoming mis-shapen or starts bulging then stop using it and contact the manufacturer.

Some other general laptop safety hints include.

Don't use the laptop on soft or flammable surfaces.

Don't block fan or ventilation ports.

If you notice the laptop getting hot, call for support.


It's not just laptops, here's a camera battery recall and. But Lithium Ion batteries are also used in cordless power tools and many other applications.

What we need to keep this in mind is that tens, if not hundreds, of millions of these batteries have been sold. Only a handful have had a problem.