Sony VAIO TZ Laptop Recall: Short Circuit and Burn Hazard

Sony has issued a laptop recall for their VAIO TZ-series computer due to design problems which could cause the notebook to short circuit and overheat, which may pose a risk of severe burns for consumers.

The notebook recall includes Sony VAIO VGN-TZ1000 series, VGN-TZ200 series, VGN-TZ300 series and VGN-TZ2000 series computers, which all contain 11.1″ screens.

Over 430,000 of these Sony laptops were sold worldwide, with about 73,000 of the VAIO notebooks sold within the United States. According to a recall notice posted yesterday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the notebooks were distributed between July 2007 and August 2008, and sold for between $1,700 and $4,000 throughout the United States.

The Sony VAIO recall was issued because the laptops could become extremely hot due to a design defect that could allow irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge or a dislodged screw inside the hinge to cause a short circuit. Sony has received reports of at least 15 cases where a VAIO TZ laptop overheated, and at least one person has suffered burns.

Sony has previously had issues with their batteries in laptop computers, which caused fires in several cases. In 2006, over 8 million Sony batteries were recalled by PC manufacturers including the Lenovo Group, Apple, Toshiba and Dell.

Consumers have been asked to stop using the recalled Sony VAIO TZ series notebooks immediately and to contact the company to determine if repairs are needed.