Clarion recalls vehicle navigation systems

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: N.I.C.E. P200 Navigation and Entertainment Systems

Units: About 1,500 additional units (about 2,500 were recalled in December 2006)

Distributor: Clarion Corp. of America, of Cypress, Calif.

Manufacturer: Kiryung Electronics of Seoul, South Korea

Hazard: The lithium-ion batteries in these units can melt or overheat posing burn and fire hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Clarion has received 15 reports of the units melting or overheating. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The N.I.C.E. P200 is a black portable navigation and entertainment device that can be attached to a vehicle’s windshield. The device has a 4-inch touch screen LCD monitor and contains one lithium battery. “Clarion” and “N.I.C.E. P200” are printed on the device. “Clarion NAVBATTERY” is printed on the battery. The recall includes any N.I.C.E. P200 in which batteries were previously replaced.

Sold at: Car audio and mobile electronics stores nationwide from May 2006 through August 2007 for a suggested retail price of $800.

Manufactured in: South Korea

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Clarion Corp. for a full refund, information on returning the product, and a postage paid envelope to return the product.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Clarion Corp. at (800) 347-8667 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT, email parts@clarion.com, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.clarion.com

Toshiba Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firms named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries containing Sony cells used in Toshiba notebook computers.

Units: About 1,400

Computer Importer: Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., of Irvine, Calif.

Battery Cell Manufacturer: Sony Energy Devices Corp., of Japan

Hazard: The lithium-ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Toshiba has received three reports outside of the United States of notebook batteries overheating. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recalled lithium-ion batteries were sold with, or sold separately to be used with the following notebook computer models: Satellite A100, Satellite A105 and Tecra A7. The battery model is printed on the battery.

Model	Computer Model Prefix Number (first 2 digits of serial number)	Model Prefix (first 6 characters)	Manufacturing Date Range	Estimated Retail Pricing (when sold)
Satellite A100	16, 26, 36, 46	PSAA0U	January 1, 2006 – April 30, 2006	About $1,300
Satellite A105	16, 26, 36, 46	PSAA2U PSAA8U PSAA9U	January 1, 2006 – April 30, 2006	About $1,000
Tecra A7	16, 26, 36, 46	PTA70U PTA71U	January 1, 2006 – April 30, 2006	About $700

Sold through: Authorized electronics retailers nationwide from January 2006 through April 2006 for between $680 and $1,300 for the computer systems and for between $90 and $120 when sold separately.

Manufactured in: China (battery packs)

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries and contact Toshiba to receive a free replacement battery. Consumers can continue to use the notebook computers safely, by turning the system off, removing the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord to power the system until the replacement battery is received. Consumers should use only batteries obtained from Toshiba or from an authorized Toshiba reseller.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Toshiba at (800) 457-7777 anytime or visit the firm’s Web site at www.bxinfo.toshiba.com

Toshiba recalls more Sony laptop batteries

From Switched.com:

Toshiba is the latest victim of Sony's massive battery recall, which has resulted in the recall of some 9.6 million batteries manufactured during December of 2005 after three incidents in which the batteries burst into flames. Toshiba says the recall affects 5,100 of its units, and is pointing customers toward its page for the battery recall program where they can see if their laptops are affected, and if they qualify for a free replacement.

With Sony having to swallow the cost of nearly 10 million battery recalls, is it any wonder the PS3 is so expensive? And what took Toshiba so long to decide it needed to recall the batteries? Toshiba had to have known for some time that it made laptops with defective batteries in them. What, was some bean counter sitting there weighing the recall cost against the probability of another battery injuring a customer? Thankfully in the end, reason won out over the bottom line.

Visit here for support information and model numbers.

Sportsman’s Warehouse Recalls Flashlights; Counterfeit Batteries Can Overheat, Posing a Fire Hazard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Xenon Aluminum Flashlights

Units: About 4,400

Distributor: Sportsman’s Warehouse, of Midvale, Utah

Hazard: The batteries packaged with the recalled flashlights are labeled as “Panasonic CR123A Industrial Lithium” and have been determined by Panasonic to be counterfeit. The counterfeit batteries can overheat and rupture, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Sportsman’s Warehouse has received two reports of batteries overheating and flashlights igniting, with one consumer receiving burns to his hands.

Description: The recall involves High Intensity Xenon Aluminum Flashlights in 6-volt (Item No. 1139422), 9-volt (Item No. 1139423) and 12-volt (Item No. 1139424) models. The recalled flashlights are black and have the Sportsman’s Warehouse logo printed on the handle. The recalled flashlights were packaged with two, three or four batteries labeled as “Panasonic CR123A Industrial Lithium”.

Sold at: Sportsman’s Warehouse stores nationwide from October 2006 through May 2007 for between $30 and $40.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately remove and discontinue using the batteries from the recalled flashlights. Consumers can return the recalled flashlights and batteries to any Sportsman’s Warehouse store for a full refund or store credit.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Sportsman’s Warehouse toll-free at (877) 678-0010 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com (PDF)

Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. recalls batteries used with power tools

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, has announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Milwaukee Power Plus, Chicago Pneumatic, and Extractor 14.4 and 18 volt 2.4 Ah NiCd battery packs

Units: About 1 million

Manufacturer/Importer: Milwaukee Electric Tool Co., of Brookfield, Wis.

Hazard: If a vent on the battery cell is damaged or compromised during use, the battery can explode and pose a laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. has received 35 reports of incidents, including 11 injuries from battery packs exploding while in use. Injuries include minor cuts, bruises and some hearing loss.

Description: The recalled batteries are used to power drills, saws, radios, flashlights, wrenches and Extractor windshield glass removers. The recall includes 14.4 and 18 volt 2.4 Ah NiCd Milwaukee Power Plus, Chicago Pneumatic, and Extractor battery packs manufactured between July 1999 and February 2004. The brand name can be found on a label on most battery packs. However, some 14.4 Volt 2.4Ah packs did not have “Power Plus” on the label. The battery packs were sold both with tool kits and as individual battery packs. Battery packs manufactured after February 2004 are not included in this recall.

Sold by: Home centers, hardware stores, industrial distributors and vehicle service distributors nationwide from July 1999 through 2005.

Manufactured in: Mexico

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled battery packs. Consumers should contact the Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. to determine if they have one of the recalled batteries. The company will provide a free replacement battery pack for consumers with recalled units.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. at (800) 729-3878 between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site.

Gateway Inc. Recalls Notebook Computer Batteries Due to Fire Hazard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today (6/19/2007) announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Gateway Lithium Ion Battery Packs

Units: About 14,000 Battery

Distributor: Gateway Inc., of Irvine, Calif.

Hazard: These lithium-ion battery packs can overheat, which could pose a fire hazard to consumers. This is not an internal battery cell defect.

Incidents/Injuries: Gateway has received four reports of battery packs overheating, including minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recalled battery packs were shipped as the primary or spare battery pack for some Gateway 400VTX and 450ROG series notebooks, and are identified by part numbers: 6500760 or 6500761. The part number and “made by SMP” are printed on a label on the underside of the battery pack.

Sold through: Gateway’s professional and direct distributors and Gateway Country stores nationwide from May 2003 through August 2003. The computers with these batteries sold for between $1,200 and $2,400 and individual batteries sold for between $60 and $90.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using these recalled batteries immediately and contact Gateway to receive a replacement battery. Consumers can continue to use the notebook computers safely by turning the system off, removing the battery pack, and using the AC adapter and power cord to power the system until the replacement battery is received.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Gateway at (800) 292-6813 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. CT seven days a week or visit the company’s Web site at www.gateway.com/battery