Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message

X series battery recall *PIC*

General Questions, Rumors, Real news & More
Post Reply
Message
Author
lparsons
Sophomore Member
Posts: 157
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2005 10:59 pm
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Contact:

X series battery recall *PIC*

#1 Post by lparsons » Wed Apr 22, 2015 6:46 am

I just saw a blurb about this in the news this morning, apparently it includes a fair number of models (this estimate says there are over 140,000 units in the US):
http://www.wfmynews2.com/story/news/loc ... /26152173/
Company officials said they've received four reports of battery packs overheating and damaging the computers, battery packs and surrounding property. One incident included a consumer's skin being reddened and burn marks on the consumer's clothing.

The recall affects about 148,800 in U.S. and 17,700 in Canada. This is in addition to the 34,500 in the United States and 2,900 in Canada that were recalled in March 2014.

Recall items include ThinkPad notebook computers: the Edge 11, 13, 14, 15, 120, 125, 320, 325, 420, 425, 430, 520, 525 and 530 series; the L412, L420/421, L512 and L520 series; the T410, T420, T510 and T520 series; the W510 and W520 series; and the X100e, X120e, X121e, X130e, X200, X200s, X201, X201s, X220 and X220t series.
Recalled battery packs have one of the following part numbers starting with the fourth digit in a long series of numbers and letters printed on a white sticker below the bar code on the battery pack: 42T4695, 42T4711, 42T4740, 42T4798, 42T4804, 42T4812, 42T4816, 42T4822, 42T4826, 42T4828, 42T4834, 42T4840, 42T4862, 42T4868, 42T4874, 42T4880, 42T4890, 42T4944, 42T4948, 42T4954, 42T4958, 45N1022 and 45N1050.
I haven't checked my battery yet to see if it's included. I know I wouldn't mind getting a new battery under this recall, though as my battery life has been rapidly declining.
Consumer Contact: Lenovo at (800) 426-7378 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at http://www.lenovo.com and select Support at the top of the page, then click on the link to the recall page in the News and Alerts section at the bottom right of the page for more information.
That web reference, as best I can tell, doesn't seem to work. I couldn't find the "news and alerts" on the support page. section so I guess I'll have to find time to call them on the phone.

MOD Edit: moved to GENERAL ThinkPad News/Comments & Questions
T510 - 4313-CTO: New from Lenovo January 2011. Core i5, Discrete Graphics, 8GB RAM, 320GB HD, 9 Cell. Win7 when I must, Kubuntu when I can
R32 - 2658-A7U: P4m 1.6Ghz, 2GB/250GB, XPP / FBSD 7.2 - 7+ years old and still ticking
R32 - 2658-BXU: P4m 1.5Ghz, 128MB/80GB, XPP; mostly for parts

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall

#2 Post by rkawakami » Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:10 pm

Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

tarvoke
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 277
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:45 pm
Location: Slightly Outside America

Re: X series battery recall

#3 Post by tarvoke » Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:22 pm

many thanks for the very important notification. wish there was a more prominent way mods could show something like this, than just the general section.

personally - 42t4882, no dice. would'a been nice to get a shiney new battery, ah well :)

good luck to everyone else :)
go away.

Puppy
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 2821
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:52 am
Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Re: X series battery recall

#4 Post by Puppy » Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:57 pm

My 42T4861 is not there. I wouldn't mind to get free replacement of the !@#$ Sanyo one :(
ThinkPad (1992 - 2012): R51, X31, X220
Huawei MateBook 13

theterminator93
ThinkPadder
ThinkPadder
Posts: 1451
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 7:45 pm
Location: North Ridgeville, Ohio, United States
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall

#5 Post by theterminator93 » Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:38 am

I checked a good number of batteries in T410s and T420s at a client site. A handful have the affected PN, but when I submitted the serial numbers, the website just told me the battery was ineligible for replacement. I wonder if only certain serial number ranges are being considered for replacement.
T480 with T25 keyboard | T25 | W520 i7-2860QM·Quadro 2000m·IPS FHD | T601F T9900·NVS 140m·LED AFFS UXGA
T420 IPS FHD | X220 IPS FHD | T61p·T61·43·42p|X13 Yoga G3·220T·301·41T·24·23·22|G41|A31p·22m|i1200|TransNote
600|770Z|770|760XD|760EL|701C|755C

mpcook
ThinkPadder
ThinkPadder
Posts: 1286
Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 6:58 pm
Location: Cincinnati, OH USA
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall

#6 Post by mpcook » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:04 pm

theterminator93 wrote:I checked a good number of batteries in T410s and T420s at a client site. A handful have the affected PN, but when I submitted the serial numbers, the website just told me the battery was ineligible for replacement. I wonder if only certain serial number ranges are being considered for replacement.
I have 4 batteries that fall into the part number ranges but only one shows as a valid replacement based on the software, and it is on its way. I hope the others are truly not defective.
Current: 2 x W520 ET, 2 x X220 i7, T420, X230 i5, T420s, MacbookPro, Dell Venue 11 Pro, Dell XPS 8930, X1 Yoga 3GEN
Past: IBM5150-8088 500 600E 600X T20 T21 5xT23 X30 3xX31 X32 T40 T42 3xT43 T43p SL510 T60p X60T X60s T61 2xT400 T410si T400s T500-3.06GHz X200 X201 X220i5 X220i7 2xT420s

K. Len
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 4:46 pm
Location: Huamantla, Mexico

Re: X series battery recall

#7 Post by K. Len » Sat May 02, 2015 9:04 am

I was one of the fortunates (or unfortunates? :? ) who happens to own a eligible battery (from a X200 I recently bought), I already sent my request for the new battery (using the manual method since I'm a Linux user). I will post some photos when it finally arrives :P
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VmWy ... o/dsfs.png

Admin edit: Removed largish (75KB) inline image of letter in Spanish.
IBM X200 7458-P49 GNU/Linux Debian, Window$ 10 x64

K. Len
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 4:46 pm
Location: Huamantla, Mexico

Re: X series battery recall

#8 Post by K. Len » Fri May 08, 2015 5:24 am

So here it's, It arrived today (I'm charging it while writing this, it came with 5% of charge), and they didn't ask me for the old one
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gwPce ... 40-h480-no
Image
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_UWe ... 458545.jpg
A different texture compared to my old battery, well, this may be because it was a 5 yrs old battery (Old in the Left, New in the Right
Image
As always, sorry for my bad english

Admin edit: Removed quoting own post and two inline images.
IBM X200 7458-P49 GNU/Linux Debian, Window$ 10 x64

toast1010
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 5:17 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: X series battery recall

#9 Post by toast1010 » Mon May 11, 2015 5:23 pm

mpcook wrote:
theterminator93 wrote:I checked a good number of batteries in T410s and T420s at a client site. A handful have the affected PN, but when I submitted the serial numbers, the website just told me the battery was ineligible for replacement. I wonder if only certain serial number ranges are being considered for replacement.
I have 4 batteries that fall into the part number ranges but only one shows as a valid replacement based on the software, and it is on its way. I hope the others are truly not defective.
I went to the Lenovo battery recall page and selected the "Manual URL" link. After filling in my battery and system information, it reports that "Your battery is not eligible for replacement." However, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission page lists my battery as one of those affected.

Emails to battery@lenovo.com have gone ignored for two weeks. On Twitter, @LenovoHelp promised that I would be contacted three days ago. Nothing.

The most ridiculous part of this is that I bought my x220 Directly from Lenovo so they already know I have a defective battery. Why am I going through these hoops rather than *them* contacting *me*?

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall *PIC*

#10 Post by rkawakami » Mon May 11, 2015 6:25 pm

You've basically answered that question with the quotation you cited. I believe that only specific batches of those battery FRUs are suspect. That's the main reason why you have to provide an accurate serial number of the battery and use of the automated verification tool is highly recommended. The CPSC article about the battery recall does contain a list of FRUs that are affected but doesn't mention anything about serial numbers.

Since you reported that the manual check you ran came back saying your battery is not covered by the recall, I don't know if there's much more Lenovo can tell you. I agree that not hearing back from them shows poor customer service response. As far as Lenovo contacting you instead of the other way around, I'm not sure if they record battery serial numbers when they sell them with a system or by themselves. They should know the battery FRU as that information does show up on a part lookup (tied to your system's serial number). What I don't know for sure is if Lenovo has a database that matches the system's serial number to your name and address. It should be something that they can do. After all, I just got an airbag recall notice on my 15 year old BMW a couple of days ago. Granted, a car typically does not change hands as often or as easily as a laptop could but then again, laptops aren't required to be taken in on a regular schedule in order to maintain the factory warranty coverage.

ref: http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Len ... Computers/
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

toast1010
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 5:17 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: X series battery recall *PIC*

#11 Post by toast1010 » Tue May 12, 2015 10:22 am

rkawakami wrote:You've basically answered that question with the quotation you cited. I believe that only specific batches of those battery FRUs are suspect. That's the main reason why you have to provide an accurate serial number of the battery and use of the automated verification tool is highly recommended. The CPSC article about the battery recall does contain a list of FRUs that are affected but doesn't mention anything about serial numbers.
Since the CPSC notice includes no qualification about only specific serial numbers being included in the recall, two possibilities exist:

a) The CPSC notice is incorrect
b) The Lenovo tool is broken
Since you reported that the manual check you ran came back saying your battery is not covered by the recall, I don't know if there's much more Lenovo can tell you.
I'd expect them to reply in a timely manner and remove this ambiguity. They ought to either have the CPSC correct their notice or fix their tool. There should be no question on out part whether we have a possibly dangerous defective battery.

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall *PIC*

#12 Post by rkawakami » Tue May 12, 2015 1:00 pm

Here's the link to the recall notice: http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/hf004122

Quoting some sections.... (emphasis is mine)
April 21, 2015 -- In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Lenovo is expanding the recall announced March 27, 2014. Lenovo is voluntarily recalling affected lithium-ion batteries worldwide.
To use our automated solution you must be viewing this page using a ThinkPad notebook PC. If your battery is included in the recall, instructions for ordering a replacement will be displayed.
Special instructions if the automated solution cannot be used
The following process is intended only for those who cannot run the automated tool. Delayed response will occur with use of the manual request form and receipt of your replacement battery, if necessary, may also be delayed.
My suggestion would be to run the automated solution and see what it reports. I would also, if you haven't already, go directly to the Lenovo Forums (forums.lenovo.com) and post your questions there. Mark Hopkins may be able to help you.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

toast1010
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 5:17 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: X series battery recall *PIC*

#13 Post by toast1010 » Tue May 12, 2015 1:04 pm

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm running Linux and don't have Windows installed.

I'll simply have to wait for Lenovo to get back to me. Perhaps another two weeks? Who knows...

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: X series battery recall *PIC*

#14 Post by rkawakami » Tue May 12, 2015 1:05 pm

I added another suggestion (contact Mark at Lenovo Forums) while you posted your response.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “GENERAL ThinkPad News/Comments & Questions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 46 guests