Panasonic Joins The Battery Recall Race

Just after Dell and Apple faced the battery crises, it seems as if dark clouds are now hovering over Panasonic. Japanese electronics giant Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic products has recalled about 6,000 laptop batteries due to the fear of the batteries getting overheated.

The lithium-ion batteries installed in Panasonic-brand notebook computers overheat and deform the plastic exterior. These batteries do not catch fire on being overheated as compared to earlier recalls made by Dell and Apple and are thus different from the previous recalls on this issue.

The battery packs of CF-W4G Let's Note W4 laptop computers assembled and shipped during April and May, 2005 come under the preview of the recall. The recall applies only to machines shipped in Japan.

It may be recalled that earlier Dell Inc. made the biggest ever, 4.1 million battery recall soon followed by the 1.1 million laptop battery recall by Apple Computer Inc. Both recalls were similar as the Sony-made batteries could burst into flames on being overheated.

Matsushita spokesman Akira Kadota, though refused to specify the maker of the batteries, made clear that these were not manufactured by Sony Corp or Panasonic. "This is very different from the Sony case," he said, where the presence of the metallic particles inside the battery could cause the cells to overheat and catch fire.