Nokia recalls 46 million batteries - News - Hardware

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Nokia recalls 46 million batteries

By Reuben Lee, CNET Asia
August 15, 2007
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/hardware/soa/Nokia-recalls-46-million-batteries-/0,130061702,339281182,00.htm

Nokia has issued a recall for Lithium-ion batteries used in over 50 of its mobile phones under suspicion that faulty units could pose a risk of overheating.

The company has identified that in very rare cases, the BL-5C battery can "potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging". An estimated 100 cases of overheating have been reported globally to date.

While Nokia reckons there are over 300 million BL-5C batteries produced by various vendors, the recall applies only to the 46 million units manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co between December 2005 and November 2006.

Nokia Lithium-ion Battery BL-5C Identification Number

So far, no cases of serious injury or property damage have emerged from the BL-5C battery glitch. However, Nokia is clearly taking a proactive stance here, although the onus will be on the consumer to check if a replacement battery is needed.

To find out if your mobile phone battery is part of the recall, Nokia advises that you determine first if your battery model is the BL-5C. Then you should visit this Web site to key in the 26-character identification number at the back of your battery. If the battery needs to be replaced, call a local Nokia service center to arrange for an exchange. Courier and replacement battery charges will be borne by the company.

Customers in Australia can also call Nokia's support hotline on 1300 366 733 to check if their battery is being recalled.

Nokia Lithium-ion Battery BL-5C Model Number

For those affected, Nokia recommends to either stop using their phones or take extra care monitoring their handsets while charging.

Some of the cellulars using the BL-5C battery include:
Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60.

Jeremy Roche from CNET.com.au contributed to this report.