Apple Battery Recall

Announced yesterday. See

https://depot.info.apple.com/batteryexchange/index.html?lang=en

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other international safety authorities, Apple is voluntarily recalling certain lithium ion rechargeable batteries that were sold worldwide from October 2004 through May 2005 for use with the following notebook computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4. These batteries were manufactured by LG Chem, Ltd. of South Korea.

The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. Apple has received six consumer reports of these batteries overheating. If you have a recalled battery, please stop using it and order a replacement battery immediately. Once you have removed the battery, plug in the AC adapter to power the computer. If you must temporarily use your computer with the battery, do not leave it unattended and check for signs of overheating.

Apple has initiated a worldwide exchange program and will provide eligible customers with a new replacement battery, free of charge. Identifying your battery

The recalled batteries include those with model numbers A1061, A1078, and A1079 and serial numbers that begin with HQ441 through HQ507 and 3X446 through 3X510. To view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the battery, you must remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is printed in black or dark grey lettering beneath a barcode. See photos below. Please use the chart below to identify the battery model and serial numbers that apply to your iBook or PowerBook.

Exchange can be dealt with very simply on line .. and my battery (HQ442....) is on the list and now sitting on the table next to me. Fortunately I use it mostly plugged in so it will not be a great inconvenience.

Phil

Identifying your battery

The recalled batteries include those with model numbers A1061, A1078, and A1079 and serial numbers that begin with HQ441 through HQ507 and 3X446 through 3X510. To view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the battery, you must remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is printed in black or dark grey lettering beneath a barcode. See photos below. Please use the chart below to identify the battery model and serial numbers that apply to your iBook or PowerBook.

Exchange can be dealt with very simply on line .. and my battery (HQ442....) is on the list and now sitting on the table next to me. Fortunately I use it mostly plugged in so it will not be a great inconvenience.

Phil

I have just read that Apple are recalling their batteries supplied this year

http://www.toppocket.net/blog/ does anyone know how this will work ? I am

already anxious about the heat produced from my macbook I have lost total faith in the safety of the unit now :(

David

They aren't recalling MacBook batteries, only iBook and PowerBooks and they've had a recall on a wide range of those for a while, so assume they are just opening up the ones covered a bit further. Until Apple has full details on the website it is difficult to say, the reports say they are recalling the Sony batteries, the only recall up on the website currently covers the LG batteries.

David Cleland wrote:

I am
already anxious about the heat produced from my macbook I have lost total faith in the safety of the unit now :(

According to the story on the Beeb's site:

"The recall does not affect the company's latest line-up of laptops - the MacBook and MacBook Pro."

So that's you in the clear.

The recall does not apply to the MacBook.

Except for the rash on his thighs from the heat :)

They do all run a bit 'toasty' under the palm rest with the HD the iBook G4 used to get quite warm, this MacBook gets quite toasty under the left hand rear area of the machine, very toasty sometimes, however thats the processors, up the front of the machine is the battery and that is currently running very cool.

It does say that, but there's already a separate recall on for MacBook Pros: <https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/>

MacBooks currently seem fine though.

Cheers,
Ian

Jon B wrote:

Until Apple has full details on the website it is difficult to say, the reports say they are recalling the Sony batteries, the only recall up on the website currently covers the LG batteries.

The site is obviously inundated with hits since it's returning an error. I was sure it was just MacBooks, but now I'll have to do something about my Powerbook :-(

Tim

I found a way in to the site, and this is these are the batteries that are being recalled:

12-inch iBook G4
Battery Model Number A1061
Serial Number Range HQ441 - HQ507
12-inch PowerBook G4
Battery Model Number A1079
Serial Number Range 3X446 - 3X510
15-inch PowerBook G4
Battery Model Number A1078
Serial Number Range 3X446 - 3X509

(From http://www.apple.com/uk/pr/200505_batteryrecall.html)

Tim

Are you sure Tim?
The date for that recall is listed as May 20th 2005.

(From http://www.apple.com/uk/pr/200505_batteryrecall.html)

Not /that/ recall, /this/ recall:

12-inch iBook G4 A1061
ZZ338 - ZZ427
3K429 - 3K611
6C519 - 6C552
12-inch PowerBook G4 A1079
ZZ411 - ZZ427
3K428 - 3K611
15-inch PowerBook G4 A1078 and A1148
3K425 - 3K601
6N530 - 6N551
6N601

https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html

Tim

Argh. My 12" iBook's battery's serial number falls into that range, but not the ones they've announced today (as per MacRumors.com). I suppose it still needs to be exchanged, though. How annoying.

I wonder why I never noticed this the first time round. I guess I must have been busy in May, 2005.

b.

On 2006-08-24 20:34:07 +0100, Ben Shimmin said:

I wonder why I never noticed this the first time round. I guess I must have been busy in May, 2005.

I wondered something similar for my MacBook Pro recall. I found out through the online press, checked on the website and did the recall.

Compare and contrast with another safety-related recall: our X-Type's handbrake cable. I was notified directly by the dealership, no need to hope I'd read it in the press.

Why aren't people being called directly using the registration information they supply? This question isn't just an Apple one, it applies to Dell too. Why am I checking the machine myself - surely they should be notifying -me-?

Cheers,
Ian

Previously tim.auton@uton.groupSexWithoutTheY "Tim Auton" writes:

15-inch PowerBook G4 A1078 and A1148
3K425 - 3K601
6N530 - 6N551
6N601

Sacredly tiny owls!! "A1078 : 3K5213FVT7AA".

That's a damn good question, and one I wondered too. I bought my iBook from the Apple Store. Presumably they have a record of when. I know they have my email address, since I get bumf from them quite regularly. How hard would it have been to send me a quick email to say that my battery might be one that is potentially faulty?

b.

Oh, flaming owlpest... Must learn to read numbers more carefully.

Still, the delusion was exciting while it lasted. What a hoot. --
Andrew Stephenson

They are recalling 1.8m batteries from 2003 - 2006. Dell are recalling 4m.

The mass media _is_ the best way. I got my mac from ebay. How would they contact me? I found out within a couple of hours of the recall.

I just think of it as a free battery!

At a guess: because you may have sold the machine.

Jim

[...]

Obviously they can't contact everyone who may have bought a computer off eBay, or from a friend, or stolen one, or whatever. If it's such an urgent safety issue, however, they should at least try to contact as many people as they can -- people who bought their computers from the online Apple Store should be particularly easy to contact.

Obviously such a large recall is going to be major news and is going to make the newspapers. A minor recall, however, presumably like the one to which my iBook's battery was subject, may well not be reported by the mass media, and so may pass under many people's respective radars.

b.

Ah!

Well although I have the right battery and it's in the range (3K529) the system is saying that the battery doesn't qualify.

Tim

Perhaps whatever affected you is affecting me, but I'm pretty 3K521 falls between 3K425 and 3K601.

<disclaimer>
I have just got back from the pub.
</disclaimer>

Tim, who has a 6C518; just one short of a second free replacement.

According to http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06245.html

you are in luck (6C510 not 6c519???)

"Computer says no..."

Mine's just out of a range, but it still lasts four hours (PB12") so I'm not fussed.

Cheers - Jaimie

I might have sold the X-Type too - same reasoning applies. Yet in the case of a car problem, the dealer or manufacturer contacts me. In the case of a computer problem...nothing. I'd better hope I'm aware enough to be reading about these things myself.

Cheer,
Ian

On 2006-08-24 21:32:26 +0100, mike said:

They are recalling 1.8m batteries from 2003 - 2006. Dell are recalling 4m.

A spammer sends out that many emails in a single day. It's still easy for them to contact me using the registration details given.

Cheers,
Ian

In the case of a car fault, it breaks, you kill yourself and 50 people on the same motorway. In the case of the computer problem, it can get a bit too warm.

Seems the right perspective to me.

On 2006-08-24 23:53:23 +0100, Woody said:

In the case of a car fault, it breaks, you kill yourself and 50 people on the same motorway. In the case of the computer problem, it can get a bit too warm.

Well no, demonstrably it can burst into flames and cause serious harm. There's a person at the moment claiming his house was burnt down due to a literally flaming Dell, though I understand the investigations are ongoing and no conclusion reached as yet.

The risk is far beyond 'a bit warm'. My 867Mhz 12" Powerbook could get a bit warm. I was never concerned about it spontaneously combusting however.

Cheers,
Ian

Glad I posted my nasty 17" Dell lappie off to my boss yesterday, for him to use in place of his far nastier PentiumIII Dell lappie. I have an Apple-only workplace now, which is rather nice.

... and _obviously_ means that as soon as the version 2 MBP's come out I'll be buying one. Man cannot live on G4 alone, even if it does has a non-exploding battery.

Cheers - Jaimie

As I understand it, 3 dells have caught fire out of how many? How many powerbooks and iBooks have burned?

It's not the heat alone that does for batteries - and in any case, ISTR that the `critical temperature' for such cells is somewhere around 150 deg. C. Basically, the standard lithium ion batteries used in pretty much everything are bloody dangerous, and all it takes is a slight cockup in manufacturing to cause major problems. Physical damage to the cells can cause them to explode instantly - and I do mean `explode' (violently) and `instantly' (less than an eyeblink).

It turns out that there's a much safer lithium ion chemistry (one that can't go bang but can go pop), but it's a bit more expensive and slightly less capacity than the dangerous sort, so I gather it's not much used.

Basically, any firm making kit with Li ion batteries is going to have this sort of trouble from time to time.

If you can be bothered, the Inquirer published a detailed article on the subject in, erm, 2004, I think. You should be able to find it with a search.

Rowland.

Same here with a 6C545. Says the serial is invalid or does not qualify. Praps the database is a bit porked? Praps not all of the batteries in the range are dodgy?

I will be ringing Apple UK tomorrow I guess.

Mike Pitt wrote:

Same here with a 6C545. Says the serial is invalid or does not qualify. Praps the database is a bit porked? Praps not all of the batteries in the range are dodgy?

I will be ringing Apple UK tomorrow I guess.

I'm having similar problems with a ZZ342. According to the relevant thread on macrumors.com many other people are having the same problems. Some in the USA have phoned Apple and have had their battery serial numbers confirmed as valid and to be recalled, whatever the website says. In several cases the Apple support people seem to be having similar problems putting the "invalid" numbers into the system.

Looks like a bug with the website form/database anyway. I'm hoping they fix it. Failing that I'll try to phone Apple sometime next week.

Viv

Same here, zz416 is in the range but system says "This serial number is invalid or does not qualify for the program."

It would be helpfull if it told me which of those two possibilities it was rejecting it on. I tried zz411 and got the same response so I don't trust it.

Arthur

Tim Auton wrote:

12-inch PowerBook G4 A1079
ZZ411 - ZZ427

Ah. ZZ426etc.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Lara

Mike Pitt wrote:

Same here with a 6C545. Says the serial is invalid or does not qualify. Praps the database is a bit porked?

Yes. I just tried again and it worked.

Tim

Many people are now on holiday and may not be paying attention to the mass media. Indeed, being the son of two teachers, my family and I used to be away for weeks at a time during August. Those were the days when it was not easy to find an English-language newspaper in much of continental Europe.

Similarly, my parents now live in Cape Coast. I expect Ghana's "Daily Graphic" would not cover this issue and it's very likely that BBC World Service will not mention the recall. My parents do, however, have email access: very little of the world does not.

Now, I know my mother owns an iBook because I recommended it to her. If this had been a PC, I would have no idea what sort it was. Which reminds me, I shall ask my dad what he's got...

Cheers,
Luke

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukebosman/sets/72157594241635319/>

From <http://www.apple.com/support/batteryexchange/faq/>

Will Apple contact me if I have one of the recalled batteries? Apple will notify customers by posting a notice on our website, sending an email or a letter to iBook and PowerBook G4 owners who have registered their systems or purchased through our Apple on-line store, and providing a point-of-sale notice to our retail partners. We encourage all customers to check their battery serial number even if they do not hear directly from Apple.

So it looks like they will.

Simon.

That's good news then. I must say it's odd that I found out via a news site rather than an Apple email directly to me though. I doubt I'll get a mail now because I've already done the swap, but I'll be interested to hear if anyone else gets one.

Cheers,
Ian

On 2006-08-25 00:13:12 +0100, Woody said:

As I understand it, 3 dells have caught fire out of how many? How many powerbooks and iBooks have burned?

And how many X-Types had their handbrake cable fail? Another case - I bought a new Mini (car, not computer) at launch and that was delayed because -one- person managed to cause a very much misreported fire in the neck of the fuel pipe. And yet I was notified about both faults by the dealer, not by reading about it in the motoring press. In the case of the Mini there was also a recall regarding foam insulation on the bonnet, yet as far as I'm aware there were zero problems ever recorded with it in the wild, it was internal testing that found the hassle.

Doesn't matter how many. Matters what the potential is. If the manufacturer believes they've shipped an unsafe product, then they should be doing the leg work to contact me, not me them (and from Simon's post further down, it looks as if they will be doing after all).

Cheers,
Ian

We found ours had wandered off down the drive and was parked half-way accross the road.

Tim

Finally the new one, and buggery, I've got quite a few in that range!

Off to go hunt serial numbers...

Has anyone had any success with this?

I have two Powerbooks with batteries in the problematic range and for both of these it recognises the Powerbook as eligible ("This computer is eligible for the Battery Exchange Program.") but rejects the battery ("This serial number is invalid or does not qualify for the program.").

For the first one I phoned Apple support and after some quarter of an hour got through to a real person who encountered the same problem but forced it through anyway, but I haven't worked up to doing this with the second one yet.

Kind regards,

Dave

wish me luck then, I've got 17 iBook G4 12" and so far after the first four a 100% hit rate on batteries that need recalling...

Simon Higgs <devnull@higgs.me.uk.invalid>:

[...]

Regarding the earlier battery recall from May 2005, they never contacted me by email or letter about it, even though I bought my iBook from the Apple online store.

So it looks like they *might*, depending on the mood they're in.

b.

So far it seems to be me and one person in comp.sys.mac.portables, and the Apple support person I talked to didn't give the impression that he'd encountered this before.

So you could be lucky!

Kind regards,

Dave

Both my PowerBooks are getting replacement batteries.

I checked last night on Apple's website and the 12" PB needs a new battery.
I was giving an Order No. - 2028297

24 hours later I checked my 15" PB and that too needs a new battery. This time the Order No. was - 2058706

Does this mean that in the last 24 hrs around 30000 batteries have been processed?

I understand there have been a handful of explosions, but no deaths or serious injuries, and that millions of batteries are being recalled. Those sorts of miniscule risks are totally irrelevant to real life. So I'm going to get a 2nd battery for free and keep the old one.

Previously seuss@nospam.com "Seuss" writes:

I understand there have been a handful of explosions, but no deaths or serious injuries, and that millions of batteries are being recalled. Those sorts of miniscule risks are totally irrelevant to real life. So I'm going to get a 2nd battery for free and keep the old one.

IIRC, Apple send you the new battery in a box which you are meant to re-use for returning the old one. Now, I don't suppose iSteve will come to your house personally to beat you up, if you fail to send the old one back, but there may be implied agreement on your part to do so -- if only to clear the potentially dangerous units off the market.

[...]

https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/index.html

Thanks for that - at 6C544 I've got to get mine replaced (though the web form doesn't work for me either).

-z-

It looks as though Apple are using our registration data after all.

I have just received an email from them about the issue.

Luke

Yes - sab got one yesterday.
Better late than never.

damn it, 6 batteries and only one is qualified for exchange.

S.Chang

At least you get a free one. None of mine qualify

I have 2 x 12" AL PBs both 1.33GHz and bought at about the same time X'mas 2003, one battery is qualifed for exchange yet I don't really feel the battery is running any hotter than the other one.

I think people will start complaining the heat generated by the 12" PB batteries cases deformation of the AL case and will want Apple to offer free repair

S.Chang

The 'dodgy' batteries don't run hotter in normal use AFAIK. They run hotter briefly and spectacularly.

Tim

Wasn't there some news that said that the faults with the Apple batteries weren't to do with overheating but with performance issues? I suspect that's just flimflam but it's something I've heard.

Jim

You seem to misunderstand the nature of the fault that prompted the recall. It is not that the battery gets warm in normal operation. It is that tiny bits of faulty batteries short out and get hot enough to catch fire.

My 12" PBook GPU and CPU normally run far hotter than the battery does. Currently 64ºC 54ºC v 32ºC respectively.
All three temperatures may be monitored by programs such as ThermographX

Been on holiday for a few days so maybe this has been brought up already. I noticed that the website now has additional information on matching batteries.

Seems mine should be ok.

That's the other recall for 15" MacBook Pro batteries...

The PowerBook recalls are because of overheating.

Dave

Woody wrote:

At least you get a free one. None of mine qualify

Not quite free. If it's like the expanding You have to send the original battery back, and if you fail to do so within 10 working days you get charged a re-stocking fee. If you do so outside 20 working days you're charged the full cost of the battery.

Well, unless you apply for the exchange when you're about to go on holiday or be away from home for an extended period, there's no real problem. You use the packaging that the new one was sent in, and there's a return label already with it. Just bung it in the post (didn't need to be courier collected).

My PB's battery is within the affected range, and Apple's arrangement seems perfectly fair to me. I expect they'd probably replace it immediately if you went to an Apple Store, in the event that you didn't know if you were going to be around when the replacement arrived. (It is a mobile computer after all!)

Cheers,

Chris

Dunno about the World Service, but BBC World (the telly channel) certainly did mention it. I almost thought they were going to call Apple "troubled" at one point, coming as it did on the heels of the Creative settlement and a reprise of the Foxconn story.

Cheers,

Chris

You're not getting an extra battery, they're requiring you to *replace* the one you've got with the new one. IIRC they'll charge you full cost if you don't return the possibly dangerous one.

Cheers,

Chris

Previously trashcan@uk2.net "Rexx Magnus" writes:

[...] You use the packaging that the new one was sent in, and there's a return label already with it. Just bung it in the post (didn't need to be courier collected).

Good grief. I thought they couriered. So, basically, Apple are telling people to commit to the public mail items considered too dangerous to leave installed in computers? Items that may catch fire, explode and/or initiate a range of other sudden mischiefs?

Do the security folkses have al-iSteve on their Little List? --
Andrew Stephenson

I think that on their own the batteries are probably perfectly safe.

Well, mine is being couriered by UPS, but this is a different fault.

They'd have to use UPS, wouldn't they?

Sorry, I'll get my coat.

Do the security folkses have al-iSteve on their Little List?

They were surprisingly unfussed about me taking my testing needles onto the aeroplane last month. I had a letter from my GP and everything too, and was hoping to use it :-(

Cheers,

Chris

I'm sure it was several weeks before I handed the UPS man my recalled iBook battery and Apple didn't charge me, contact me or do anything else that I'm aware of. This was a year or so ago and not this recall, obviously.

Tim

Ours arrived yesterday. We are under instructions to send it via UPS. We must, for legal reasons, not seal the package until UPS have inspected it.

Luke

Luke Bosman wrote:

Ours arrived yesterday. We are under instructions to send it via UPS. We must, for legal reasons, not seal the package until UPS have inspected it.

Really re the sealing bit? I packaged mine before the UPS driver came back (same afternoon), handed it to him, he signed the tracking/receipt form, then gave that back to me. I was far more concerned about checking beforehand that the replacement battery really was ok.

Viv

You should be locked up in a cell for that joke.

Paul

Well, that's what the twenty page booklet says. Less nerdy types might well not read the booklet, not least because only pages 2 and 11 are in English.

I packaged mine before the UPS driver came
back (same afternoon), handed it to him, he signed the tracking/receipt form, then gave that back to me. I was far more concerned about checking beforehand that the replacement battery really was ok.

Weirdo. :-)

Luke