I can’t believe it! Dell Has Exploding Batteries!

There were several instances of exploding laptops, which actually resulted due to the explosion of the batteries. There could be several reasons of such explosions, but mainly such accidents take place due to over heating of the batteries. The after-effects of such an explosion can cause burns or even fire. The biggest name in the market of notebooks like Dell has recalled their products from the market because of battery exploding complaints. Uniting with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Dell made an announcement of recalling a large number of notebook batteries in the year 2006 and 2008.

Dell announced its recent-most recall on October 30, 2008. All over the world Dell received complaints about less than 300 affected units. Dell took a responsible step to inform the users about the potential risk by flashing the numbers of the battery models that were doubted to be affected. The main battery model numbers affected by the recall are OU091 and W1435. These batteries were either sold with the Dell laptops or sold separately as secondary batteries.

The Dell laptop models with these batteries are Latitude: D110L, D520 and Inspiron:  1100, 1150, 5100,  5150 and 5160. These batteries are also compatible to work with notebook model numbers such as Latitude: D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, for example D600 batteries; Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, for example d505 batteries or 6400 batteries.  Dell added this information on its website and also flashed affected part identification numbers of the batteries.

Dell identified the potential risk associated with the matter and decided to recall the batteries in collaboration with the CPSC and other regulatory agencies. They also offered free replacement of the affected batteries that were sold separately or with Inspiron™, XPS™, Dell Latitude™, Dell Precision Mobile Workstation™ notebook computers, etc.

Dell did the right thing by recalling the range of batteries that could have resulted in explosions, but it is the responsibility of the end users also to use such devices safely. Placing a notebook on our lap is no less than placing a potential grenade. However, it does not mean that one should stop using the laptop, but the point lies in using it safely. Some people leave their notebooks on throughout the whole day while some people have the device plugged into the wall constantly, even when the battery got fully charged. These things can cause over heating of the battery and ultimately it can explode. The fact is that an average battery is not prone to explode, but we have to act cautiously without provoking it to blow up.