Sony says it is recalling 440,000 units of Vaio laptop computers worldwide due to faulty parts that could trigger overheating.Sony Corp. (SNE) said Thursday that the recall involves 19 models in the Vaio TZ series manufactured between May 2007 and July 2008.
The Tokyo-based consumer electronics company said improperly placed wires near the hinge connecting the body of the laptop and its display could wear quickly, causing a short circuit and overheating.
A flaw in a circuit board inside the display could also overheat its rim. Sony has received 209 reports of overheating worldwide, including seven cases in which people received minor burns.
The laptop problem comes two years after Sony had to engage in massive recalls of laptop batteries, which also caused overheating or even burst into flames.
The worse case is that the laptop could overheat, which is a serious safety concern. The problem is due to the wiring near the laptop’s hinge, which could short-circuit and then overheat.
If this was to happen, the user might burn themselves. One person has already suffered a minor burn, Sony have also received 15 other reports of their Vaio overheating.
The Sony Vaio TZ models that are affected are the VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000. Sony has said that although not all laptops in the series are not affected users should contact them and stop using the laptop immediately.
