Sony recalls 4 lakh Vaio laptops

Bangalore, Sep 5: Sony, the technology gaint on Thursday, Sep 4 recalled more that four lakh units of its successful Vaio brand laptops. The reason for recall is learnt to be the potential burn hazards from overheating and short circuits. While the company is recalling 73,000 units sold in the US market over the past one year, the number of potentially faulty models across the world is said to be over four lakh. It is not yet clear that whether the models sold in India will be recalled or not.

The consumers should immediately stop using the product being recalled by Sony, said the US Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC) in a statement released."Irregularly positioned wires near the computers hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge can cause a short circuit and overheating. This poses a burn hazard to consumers," CPSC said. So far Sony has received 15 reports of overheating, including from one consumer who suffered a minor burn, it added.

The recalled notebook models are the VAIO VGN-TZ100 series, VGN-TZ200 series, VGN-TZ300 series and VGN-TZ2000 series. The computer screen size is about 11.1 measured diagonally. Not all units are affected and consumers should contact Sony to determine if their unit is included in the recall, CPSC said.

The models were sold by the SonyStyle stores and its web site, authorized electronics retailers, and authorized business-to-business dealers across US from July 2007 through August 2008 for between 1,700 and 4,000 dollars.

These models were manufactured in Japan and the US. "Consumers should stop using the recalled notebook computers immediately and contact Sony to determine if their notebook is affected. The firm will arrange for an inspection and repair, if needed," the statement said.

The company said said in a separate statement that it has become 'aware of a potential issue' in certain Vaio models, which involves a small number of units which may overheat due to a wiring problem.

"Sony has initiated a voluntary programme to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards. At no charge, Sony will provide an inspection and, if necessary, on-site repair at your home or office. Alternatively, you can ship your notebook to our service center," Sony Electronics' Senior Vice President (Vaio) Mike Abary said in a statement.

The company however said that there had been no incidents so far where this issue has caused a fire, but there is a risk of minor burns if the affected part is touched while hot. The company said other VAIO notebook models are not at risk.

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