Hewlett-Packard recalls 78,500 lithium-ion batteries used in some of its laptops due to fire risks, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announcement dated March 12.

The product recall includes HP and Compaq-branded units, in addition to the 50,000 units recalled last year.

Risk Of Battery Fire

Lithium-ion batteries are prone to overheat, which can cause fire and burn hazards to users. CPSC said the recent recall is due to a report of minor injury and two reports of property damage amounting to $1,100. The batteries are said to have overheated, melted, and charred.

The batteries were either sold as part of the laptops or separately as accessories between December 2015 and December 2018. HP advised owners of ProBooks (64x G2 and G3 series, 65x G2 and G3 series, 4xx G4 series), HPx360 (310 G2), HP ZBook (17 G3 and Studio G3), HP Pavilion x360 11-inch Notebook PC, and HP 11 Notebook PC to head on to the company's website for further support.

"Customers who have already received a replacement battery through the recall program are NOT affected by this expansion," HP said.

CSPC did not disclose the name of the manufacturer but indicated that the batteries were made in China.

Expanded Safety Program

The voluntary recall is part of an expanded battery safety recall and replacement program that started in January 2018. HP said they partnered with various regulatory agencies to ensure that all defective units are returned and repaired by authorized technicians.

"HP's primary concern is for the safety of our customers. HP is proactively notifying customers, and will provide replacement battery services for each verified, eligible battery, at no cost," HP said.

Many of the batteries are internal to the laptops or mobile workstations, which means that the battery itself is not customer replaceable. Customers can also check if their battery is affected by downloading the HP Battery Validation Utility software on the company's website.