After battling recent bad press showing Dell laptops exploding in flames, Dell and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday that the company will recall 4.1 million notebook batteries. (Source: news.com)

Affected Products

The batteries that have been recalled were manufactured by Sony and the recall affects notebooks that were shipped between April 2004 and July 2006. Models that could potentially be affected include:

• Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810
   
• Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
   
• Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
   
• XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710 (Source: arstechnica.com)

Why the Recall?

In a statement released August 15, Dell explained the recall noting that "under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could cause a risk of fire."

The company also said in the statement that six official complaints were received from consumers where overheating caused "property damage to furniture and personal effects." So far, no injuries have been reported. (Source: timesonline.co.uk)

Implications for Dell

Experts are estimating that the recall, the largest of its kind in history, could cost upwards of $300 million US, with Sony expected bear the majority of the costs and Dell sharing the remainder.

According to the statement released Tuesday, "Dell does not expect this recall to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows." (Source: timesonline.co.uk)

Although the company may be financially safe in the interim, this recall may have a larger scale effect on Dell's consumer base. A study conducted by the University of Michigan showed declining customer satisfaction with Dell. Additionally, over the past year, Dell's shares have declined almost fifty percent. (Source: timesonline.co.uk)

For details on affected Dell models and how to exchange batteries, log onto Dell's official website:

https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx