Nokia Announces Battery Recall, Largest Consumer Recall Ever

NokiaNokia, the world's No 1 mobile phone maker warned today that over 46 million Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita could overheat and that it would replace them for customers at no cost. The company indicated there have been over 100 incidents of the batteries overheating while being charged, and that no serious injuries or property damage had been reported. It also clarified that there were multiple manufacturers of this battery and only those by Japanese Matsushita Battery Company were affected. The cost to the company was expected to be around $100 million, and the supplier would likely bear some of the costs.
The following Nokia models used the battery in question:
Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60
This would likely be the largest consumer recall program ever, following on the heels of last year's Sony-manufactured laptop battery recall, used in Dell laptops, HP, Apple, and other manufacturers. Consumer recalls are not uncommon. TheU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision reports over 15 recalls in August 2007 alone, including the million-plus toys recalled by Mattel Inc. There are reports that Mattel may announce another large toy recall soon.
In the future, batteries might not need to be recalled. That is, if the paper battery recently announced by researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute takes off. The battery contains carbon nanotubes embedded in a sheet of paper, and can even be rolled up.
To check on whether your Nokia mobile phone battery is impacted by the recall, visit the Nokia Battery Replacement Program website.