Sony has issued a recall for thousands of its VAIO laptop computers in the U.S. because of possible overheating or short-circuits.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that Sony's recall is voluntary, and it recommended that VAIO owners stop using the products unless otherwise instructed. The recall affects about 73,000 Vaio TZ-series computers in the U.S. The Kyodo news agency in Japan is reporting that the recall applies to 440,000 units worldwide.
15 Reports of Overheating
The safety commission said the reason for the recall is because "irregularly positioned wires near the computer's hinge and/or a dislodged screw inside the hinge can cause a short-circuit and overheating."
It added that this hazard could result in burns to consumers. In fact, the commission reported that Sony has received 15 reports of overheating, including one person who received a minor burn.
The affected models are the VAIO VGN-TZ100 series, VGN-TZ200 series, VGN-TZ300 series, and VGN-TZ2000 series. The commission said owners of these models should stop using the computers "immediately" and get in touch with Sony to see if their unit is affected. Sony will arrange for any needed inspection or repair.
Sony posted a statement on its eSupport site that said "the issues involve a small number of units which may overheat due to a wiring problem."
Sony's Efforts
It added that consumers with VAIO notebooks should visit http://esupport.sony.com/fixmypc. At that site, users will be asked to input their product code and serial number from the bottom of the notebook. If a consumer has an affected model, there are instructions on the site about how to set up an inspection. A hotline number is also posted.
Sony said it would not charge for inspections, and, if necessary, it would arrange for on-site repairs at the owner's home or office -- or owners can ship their unit to the Sony service center.
Recalls are a fact of life for computer makers. Sony has had to deal with computer battery recalls as recently as 2006. In that recall, computers sold by Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Toshiba and others were affected.
Richard Shim, an analyst with industry researcher IDC, noted that "recalls generally sound worse than they turn out to be." For the company, he said, getting the word out is difficult, and "even with the battery recall Sony did a couple of years go, the number of customers bringing their units back was low."
He emphasized that a company's customer service during a recall can be a key factor in determining if there is a lasting impact to the brand. "It sounds like Sony is doing this the right way," he said.