Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and the Office of Technology Services (OTS) advise all faculty, staff and students owning a Dell notebook computer to immediately check their model to see if it is affected by a recall of over 4.1 million batteries. If the model is among those listed below, you’ll then need to check to see if your particular battery is among those being recalled.
If your notebook computer and battery is part of the recall, you MUST take action and request a new battery through Dell. Also, please notify both EHS (x4-2949) and OTS (x4-5151). This is a potential fire and safety hazard and, while Dell indicates that problems are rare, it is obviously not something to gamble with. We are particularly concerned with those that are university property and used on campus, although people who have bought their own systems for personal use should also comply with the recall if affected.
Dell provides an online tool to check your battery. You will only need to check your battery if your notebook is among those affected. The tool will require you to look up a part number code on your notebook computer’s battery. You may need to open the battery compartment to do this, since the identification sticker is generally inside. Before you pull out the battery to check the part number, make sure you save your work, shutdown your notebook computer, and disconnect the power cable.
Visit the Dell website at {https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx} for further instructions and information, including details on checking to the battery part number. An excerpt from the Dell site follows.
If, after reading this, you are uncertain about how to check your battery, please call OTS for assistance.
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“Dell has identified a potential issue associated with certain batteries sold with Dell Latitude?, Inspiron?, XPS? and Dell Precision Mobile Workstation? notebook computers. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory agencies, Dell is voluntarily recalling certain Dell-branded batteries with cells manufactured by Sony and offering free replacements for these batteries. Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could pose a risk of fire.
Potentially affected batteries were sold with the following models of Dell notebook computers or separately as secondary batteries:
? Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810
? Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
? Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
? XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710
In addition, these batteries may have also been provided in response to service calls. The batteries were shipped to customers between April 1, 2004 and July 18, 2006. The words “DELL” and “Made in Japan” or “Made in China” or “Battery cell made in Japan, Assembled in China” are printed on the back of the batteries. If your battery does not reflect one of these markings it is not part of this recall, and you may exit the site.
There is a two (2) step process to identify if your battery is affected:
1. Check if your battery model MAY be affected. If your battery is not listed, you are not affected.
2. Check if your specific battery PPID (Dell Part Piece Identification) is affected. This step is necessary to identify if your battery is affected. Only some batteries within each model are affected. If the battery is subject to this recall you will be automatically connected to a replacement order form.
Please visit the Dell website at {https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx} for further current information on this recall and how to get a replacement battery.
