Toshiba Battery Recall Issued After Laptops Melt, Overheat

Over 100,000 lithium-ion Toshiba computer battery packs have been recalled, following several reports that indicate they may overheat and cause laptops to melt, posing a potential fire and burn hazard for consumers.

The Toshiba laptop battery recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on March 30, following at least four consumer complaints that indicated the battery packs overheated or melted laptops.

While no injuries or reports of property damage have been received, this may pose a serious risk for consumers using these Toshiba laptops.

The recalled batteries were installed in 39 models of Toshiba Portege, Satellite, and Tecra laptops, marked with a part number beginning with G71C that are printed on the battery pack. The batteries were sold along with new Toshiba laptop purchases, separately, or as a laptop accessory package containing various other items.

The battery packs were manufactured by Panasonic in China and Japan, where they were imported by Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., of Irvine, California. The batteries were sold at Office Depot, Staples, and other electronic stores nationwide as well as online at Toshibadirect.com and other websites from June 2011 through January 2016 for between $500 and $1,000 for the laptop including the battery, and between $70 and $130 for the battery itself.

According to the CPSC, and estimated 91,000 units were sold in the United States and an additional 10,000 were distributed for sale in Canada.

Customers are being asked to stop using the recalled battery packs immediately, remove the battery from the laptop, and to visit the company’s website at www.us.toshiba.com and navigate to the “Consumer Notices” tab for information on how to identify if their battery pack is included in the recall.

Those with recalled Toshiba laptop battery packs should only power the laptop through the use of an AC power supply and follow the online instructions on how to receive a free replacement battery pack. Customers may contact Toshiba America at 866-224-1346 for further questions and concerns regarding the recall.