Sony Recalls Notebooks Over Possible Overheating

At least we can say: this Sony recall is not about batteries. It is about a potential overheating / fire issue, though.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and Sony announced on Thursday that Sony was recalling 19 models in the VAIO TZ series notebooks manufactured between May 2007 and July 2008.

This hits home as my wife has a TZ-250N. Wonderful.

According to the USCPSC:

Irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge can cause a short circuit and overheating. Sony has received 15 reports of overheating, including one consumer who suffered a minor burn.

Reports say the number of recalled notebooks is either 73,000 or 444,000 (yes, that's a big difference). Sony doesn't specify the number on its site, but the models involved are:

• VGN-TZ100 series
• VGN-TZ200 series
• VGN-TZ300 series
• VGN-TZ2000 series

To find out if your notebooks is affected you can either visit http://esupport.sony.com/fixmypc, where you will be prompted to input your product code and serial number from the bottom of your VAIO. It you have an affected units, you'll be given instructions on how to get your laptop inspected and repaired.

According to Sony, they will provide an inspection and, if necessary, on-site repair at your home or office, so at least that part is painless. Of course, you can ship the notebook to their service center instead, if you prefer.

You can also the VAIO TZ customer hotline at 1-888-526-6219 to check if your unit is affected.

Millions of Sony notebook batteries from various PC OEMs (including Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, and Apple) were recalled in 2006 due to overheating issues. Unrelated to this, of course, but still something that has stained Sony's reputation.