Archive for Recall

The Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch Is Being Recalled

Posted in Commentary with tags , on March 2, 2022 by itnerd

If you have a Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, and Fitbit did sell almost 2 million of them, it’s being recalled due to the risk of burns as multiple incidents of people being burned by these watches have been reported.

This was announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today. The remedy is a full refund of $300 US. And if you buy another Fitbit device, there’s a 40% discount code on offer as well. Thus seeing as this watch first appeared in 2017 and discontinued in 2020, and is likely worth $100 USD today, this is more than fair. If you have one of these devices, you should likely visit this link for more information.

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HP Recalls Power Cords Due To Fire Risk

Posted in Commentary with tags , on August 26, 2014 by itnerd

If you bought a HP or Compaq or mini notebook computer between September 2010 through June 2012, you need to look closely at this picture and compare it to your cable that plugs into your laptop’s AC adapter:

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If you see the “LS-15” marking molded into the connector that plugs into the AC adapter, then you need to stop using it and surf to this site. These cords have the potential to overheat, posing a fire, and burn hazard. Now this is a standard cable, so you can swap it out with one from Radio Shack so that you can continue to use your laptop. But please take immediate action if you are affected.

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Chromebook 11 Chargers Recalled Over Fire Risk

Posted in Commentary with tags , , , on December 18, 2013 by itnerd

If you have a Google powered Chromebook 11 from HP, you need to pay attention to this story. The fancy power adapter that uses a Micro USB port has been recalled due to melting and overheating issues. Here’s what ABC had to say about this:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall today on the HP Chromebook 11 power supply/charger. Google has also alerted Chromebook 11 owners to stop using the recalled charger immediately.

About 145,000 units are being recalled after Google received nine reports of chargers overheating and melting, according to the report issued by the commission. One consumer reported a “small burn” and there was one report of a pillow burning because of an overheating charger.

Delightful. If you’ve got one of these Chromebooks, stop using the charger and surf to http://chromebook.com/hp11chargerform to sign up for a replacement charger.

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Belkin Recalls Tunebase Over Fire Hazard

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 26, 2009 by itnerd

This personally affects me, so I figured that I pass it along in case you’re affected too. Belkin has announced a global recall of its TuneBase Direct with Hands-Free, TuneBase FM with Hands-Free, and TuneBase FM with ClearScan. The devices are used in cars to connect iPods to car stereos either via a free FM channel or by a cable for music playback or to connect to iPhones for hands-free phone reception. Apparently these devices have the potential of catching fire inside your car. This is what Belkin had to say about the issue:

Belkin has identified that a component of the TuneBase, the washer, can cause an electrical short circuit when plugged into a vehicle’s cigarette lighter adapter. The washer is a circular, black, plastic unit situated at the tip of the TuneBase’s cigarette lighter adapter. After a rigorous investigation, Belkin has determined that under certain conditions of heat, humidity and prolonged periods of power-on (e.g. when the TuneBase is left plugged in overnight), some units with the washer have shown potential to pose a risk of fire.

While we believe this issue may be isolated to a limited number of units produced with this washer, Belkin places the safety of our consumers ahead of all other considerations and is recalling all TuneBase products purchased by consumers on or after April 1, 2009.

If you have one of the above, check for the following model numbers: F8Z441, F8Z442, F8Z176, F8Z441ea, F8Z442ea and F8Z176eaBL. If you bought them between April 1, 2009 and the end of October, STOP USING IT NOW. Then go to this website to start the process of getting a new now.

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Sony Laptop Batteries Get Recalled Again Because Of Fire Hazard

Posted in Commentary with tags , , , , on October 31, 2008 by itnerd

What’s the deal with Sony and their laptop batteries?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission in the US has announced a recall of about 35,000 laptop batteries from Sony, after several reports of fires. Nineteen consumers have reported the batteries overheating. 17 reported flames, and two suffered minor burns. The affected laptops come from HP, Dell, and Toshiba. This comes after a similar issue prompted a recall that affected hundred of thousands of laptops last month, and another recall that affected many more laptops than that in 2006.

Here’s a video in Japanese that shows what can happen to these batteries:

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Sony Repair Site Says “This Is A Test” When You Visit It…. WTF? [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 4, 2008 by itnerd

Sony must truly not have a clue. Hot on the heels of their recall of a huge number of laptops comes this screw up. Sony’s own documentation says to visit http://esupport.sony.com/fixmypc to find out if your notebook is one of the ones that is being recalled. But when you do, this is what you see (click the picture for a bigger image):

That’s Sony quality for you!

The workaround is to call 1-888-526-6219 and attempt to speak to a live human, although I suspect that they’re kind of busy at the moment.

UPDATE: They fixed the site.

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Sony Recalls Laptops…. Apparently They Burn [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , on September 4, 2008 by itnerd

Sony (via the Consumer Product Safety Commission) is recalling about 73,000 Vaio TZ-series laptops sold in the US, as a possible short circuit of wires near the hinge could burn users. According to the posting on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, consumers should stop using these laptops and contact Sony to see if their notebook is one of the ones that is affected. This Sony page has more info on what you need to do. Apparently one person received a minor burn and 15 cases of overheating have been reported.

This is the latest quality fiasco that Sony finds itself involved in. Last year’s exploding battery circus hit every big name computer company and cost Sony something north of $430 million USD to solve. So that combined with this latest recall has me rethinking the sort of quality that Sony puts into its products. They used to be bulletproof, but now they appear to be seriously slipping.

UPDATE: Sony now says it’s 438,000 laptops worldwide.

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