ThinkPad X1 Carbon Fire Hazard Recall Proves That Lenovo Has A Few Screws Loose

In a letter to customers, Lenovo admitted it has a few loose screws. Or more accurately, the company's ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th generation) does. Due to this, Lenovo is voluntarily recalling some of these thin and light laptops, as the loose screws could damage the device's battery causing it to overheat, and potentially catch fire.

"Lenovo’s investigation and analysis determined that an unfastened, small screw, left in the unit during manufacture, could damage the surface of the lithium ion polymer battery and cause a short, leading to rapid cell discharge of the battery," Lenovo said. "This defect has led to three failures in the field."

The recall affects 5th generation ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops built between December 2016 and October 2017. Those that were manufactured on November 1 of last year or later are not affected, the company said.


The specific four-digit machine types that fall under this recall include 20HQ, 20HR, 20K3, and 20K4. You can find this information on the underside of the laptop next to the serial number (shown above). If you own one of these models, hit the source link and select your machine type from the pull-down menu, and enter in your laptop's serial number to see if your specific unit is affected by the recall.

"Customers should confirm if they have a laptop impacted by the recall by validating the Machine Type (MT) and Build information as noted above in Q1, and then go to the web site: https://support.lenovo.com/X1C_5GEN_RECALL to confirm their serial number (SN). If impacted, then Lenovo recommends they should immediately stop using the affected laptop PC and contact Lenovo Services or an authorized Warranty Services Provider to schedule an appointment to have their systems inspected for an unfastened screw," Lenovo said.

Lenovo initiated the recall after receiving reports from customers who said their laptops overheated and had been damaged as a result. So far there have not been any reports of the issue actually causing a fire or property damage, other than to the laptop itself. Nevertheless, if you own an affected model, Lenovo says you should stop using it immediately while you initiate a free inspection and repair.