Dell recalled 4.1 million Sony laptop batteries

Between April 2004 and July 2006, Dell shipped notebook computers whose lithium-ion battery cells were manufactured by Sony. In mid-2006, customers reported that some batteries overheated and, in a small number of cases, caught fire. On 14 August 2006, Dell and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 4.1 million battery packs used in Dell Latitude, Inspiron, XPS and Precision mobile workstation lines.

The CPSC said the batteries could overheat and create a fire hazard. Dell and Sony traced the problem to microscopic metal particles introduced during Sony's cell manufacturing; under rare conditions those particles could puncture the separator inside a cell and cause a short circuit. Sony acknowledged the manufacturing flaw and said it would share the recall cost with Dell.

The recall covered batteries sold in the United States and internationally. Dell set up a replacement website and told customers to stop using the affected batteries until replacements arrived. At the time it was the largest recall in consumer-electronics history, and it was followed within weeks by Apple, Lenovo and other PC makers recalling additional Sony-made batteries.