FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2004
Release # 04-201
Apple Recall Hotline: (800) 275-2273
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
CPSC, Apple Announce Recall of PowerBook Computer Batteries
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces
the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firm below. Consumers
should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of product: Rechargeable batteries used in 15-inch PowerBook G4 computers
Units: About 28,000
Computer Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc., of Cupertino, Calif.
Battery Manufacturer: LG Chem Ltd., of South Korea
Problem: An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Apple has received four reports of batteries overheating, though no injuries have been reported.
Description: The recalled batteries are used with the 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) laptop computer. The batteries, which contain cells manufactured during the last week of December 2003 only, have the model number A1045 and serial numbers that begin with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. The model and serial numbers can be found on a label on the bottom of the battery. The battery is approximately 4 ¾ inches long, 3 ¼ inches wide, and ¾ inches tall. No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are involved in this recall.
Sold at: National and regional resellers, catalogers, and Apple’s online and retail stores sold the computers with the batteries from January 2004 through August 2004 for between $2000 and $2600. The batteries also were sold separately for about $130.
Assembled in: Taiwan
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge.