70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard

It's been quite awhile since we've seen a major recall surrounding volatile laptop batteries, but it looks as if HP is the company bringing the topic back to the forefront. Announced today, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard, has issued a voluntary recall of about 70,000 Li-ion batteries. Reportedly, these cells can "overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers," and so far, the firm and CPSC have received two separate reports of batteries that have overheated and ruptured, resulting in -- wait for it -- "flames / fire that caused minor property damage." For a look at what units are affected, head on past the break -- oh, and if you're reading this on an HP lappie right now, go ahead and grab the fire extinguisher just in case.

Description: The recalled lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are used with various HP and Compaq notebook computers. Models that can contain a recalled battery include:

The notebook model is located at the top of the service label on the bottom of the notebook. Batteries that can be subject to the recall will have one of the following bar code labels (^ in the code can be any letter or number):

62940^^AXV^^^^ 65033^^B7U^^^^
65033^^B7V^^^^
65033^^BGU^^^^ 65035^^B7U^^^^
65035^^B7V^^^^
65035^^BGU^^^^
65035^^BGV^^^^ 67059^^V8U^^^^
67059^^V8V^^^^

Sold at: Computer and electronics stores nationwide, hp.com and hpshopping.com from August 2007 through March 2008 for between $500 and $3000. The battery packs were also sold separately for between $100 and $160.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately remove the recalled battery from their notebook computer and contact HP to determine if their battery is included in the recall and to request a free replacement battery. After removing the recalled battery from their notebook computer, consumers may use the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery arrives. Consumers should only use batteries obtained from HP or an authorized reseller.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, visit the HP Battery Replacement Program Web site at http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement

[lennie22 Posted May 14th 2009 4:23PM]

that was for greg N

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 4:29PM]

you'd think they (battery designers) would have this figured out by now.

[Quikstep Posted May 14th 2009 4:32PM]

I'm glad to see my HDX is safe. My computer is only a few months old, so it'd be more of a hassle rather than a win for getting a new battery.

[cray Posted May 14th 2009 4:45PM]

2 cases of fire damage and everyone labels HP poor quality? Isn't that little blown out of portion?

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 4:49PM]

fuu-- this is the first time I've brought my laptop to class all semester, I swear! It'll never happen again! I'll focus from now on!

[KeegdnaB Posted May 14th 2009 4:46PM]

why do I have a feeling the battery I replaced 2 months ago in my dv6000 would have been on this list.

That thing was hot as hell and lasted 10 minutes....I think the one I have now is in the clear

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 4:59PM]

Oh my clients would be so pleased!

[I like things Posted May 14th 2009 5:05PM]

My HP laptop goes by the names 6899EA,6700,6000.. Was really confused, anyway, luckily my battery is a 6301 manufactured in japan not china =D

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 5:52PM]

Your battery is not affected and is not part of this replacement program. Thank you for your cooperation. If you believe this may be an error please verify that you have entered the correct battery bar code id and try again or contact HP for further assistance by using one of the "Contact Us" options on the top left of the page.

Oh noooo! I want new, free battery too :( Actually mine starts with 67060...

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 6:19PM]

I wonder if any of microsoft's laptop hunters are affected.

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 11:13PM]

Kinda funny. Me and my roommate both bought nearly the same Compaq V6000 about 2 years ago. His battery completely died about 8 months ago, my ones capacity is diminished but it's still going. My code # is part of the recall, his is not.

[darok3k Posted May 14th 2009 6:41PM]

this gotta suck for HP..

[Iceman Posted May 14th 2009 6:58PM]

I should put down this laptop...

[Ducman69 Posted May 14th 2009 7:05PM]

This happens guys. We had them on our Macbooks and Dell had their recall too (as both manufacturers actually used the exact same Sony batteries). Its only when companies DO NOT have recalls when recalls are warranted that you should worry. Otherwise, its pretty sweet as lithium batteries have a limited amount of charge cycles, and through recalls you get a brand new fresh battery for free!

[nowhereman Posted May 14th 2009 7:32PM]

Ive got a g60....... its REALLY hot right now.... its only been on for about 10 min.... ill be fine... BOOM! battery acid everywhere... i need new pants...

[pyehac Posted May 14th 2009 7:47PM]

as if they don't need more problems

Luckily I'm swearing off HP computers forever.

[llkevoll Posted May 14th 2009 8:42PM]

I have a dv6000 and the verfier on HP's website says my battery is NOT included although it met the criterion for being a bad battery. I called 1-800-HP-INVENT and they determined that the battery is bad and I'm going to get a new one for free. This is my 3rd HP PC and they all have had issuses but HP has been phenomenal at Customer Service for me. I didnt have to yell or be rude and they seem to roll out the red carpet for me. HP used to be consistent with great quality but it seems that as they've become more popular the workmanship seems to be getting shabby. Anywho...I still enjoy HP's products although they all seem to go "through it" at some point or another.

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 9:03PM]

this is sweet, my battery crapped out a few months ago, cant get more than a few minutes of time on it anymore.

hasnt exploded into any flames but if HP wants to give me a nice new one that holds a charge, well hey...Im not complaining.

[Thesifer Posted May 14th 2009 10:05PM]

Mine matches one of the Bar codes on the list, but their Validator on the website says that it is "Not part of the replacement program" So I sent them a reply that I will continue to use my battery, as even though it appears on the list, their website told me it was OK to use.

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2009 11:12PM]

yipee my batt was losing charge anyway :)

[(Unverified) Posted May 15th 2009 2:33AM]

HP Compaq 6715b *phew*

[(Unverified) Posted May 15th 2009 4:06AM]

i read this and i quickly called hp they didnt even want to give me the replacement battery they kept making excuses till they finally knew they were wrong /the guy i was talking to was lying to me very poor customer service
if you dont have a warranty to bad youll have to pay full price for the battery

im never buying another hp after my experience with them

[fincan Posted May 15th 2009 9:53AM]

dammit, my battery is not in that list. (hp tx2500)

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2009 1:25PM]

My dv9339us(with go7600 nvidia gpu) fried 6 months out of warranty at 1.5 yrs. HP's extended warranty links drilled down to only a handful of P/N numbers (sort of a sub-serial number). Of course my P/N number wasn't listed, and HP informed me that it would $400+ to fix it plus my shipping to them.

Now I find that my $1600-for-1.5yr paperweight also has an assploding battery.

I would never buy another hp product again. You don't support me, I don't support you. You robbed me of $1600 - thats enough for me.

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2009 5:22PM]

I actually have a dv2500. I called HP tech support to find out that my battery (the 65035n7b7v11ms) is actually NOT part of the recall even though it does overheat quite a bit and crashes my computer in the process. I find it odd that it is the original battery that came with my notebook upon purchase, has these problems, and yet is not "defective."

Any advice?

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 10th 2009 11:18PM]

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[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2009 2:10PM]

i got a G60-120US does that mean i should go replace my battery? pls help im kinda confused.