Dell to replace (4.1 million!?) notebook batteries

Dell to replace notebook batteries - Yahoo! News

This is one hell of a recall:

A Dell spokesman said Monday that the Sony batteries were placed in notebooks that were shipped between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year.

"In rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat, causing a risk of smoke and/or fire," said the spokesman, Ira Williams. "It happens in rare cases, but we opted to take this broad action immediately."

Li-Ion batteries are prone to being rather unstable but normally there is a microchip in the battery that will monitor the levels in the battery and close off any defective cells. It looks like something is very wrong with the design/implementation of these specific batteries.

For more information about the recall and to see if your battery is affected check Dell's Battery Recall website.