Surgeon General Warning to T60p: Smoking Bad 4 Your Health!

[jodymr]

I currently have a T60p (with Flexview ), but last weekend I was sitting on the couch with it on my lap working away and all of a sudden it started smoking and that nasty plastic/electronic burning smell filled the room ! I immediately unplugged it and took the battery out; I was not sure what to do at that point. I booted it with no batttery in it and it booted fine, but the HD activity light now remains solid (lit). I tried putting the battery in one more time and it started smoking again, and I have not tried to put my existing battery (or any other battery) since then. The battery is a 9-cell battery that was a replacement for my original "recalled" battery (less than a year old). I'm not sure what to do with it at this point. I removed keyboard, palmrest, etc. and could not find any physical damage or burning, so maybe the smoke was coming from the battery? I don't know.

I should also note that the day this happened, the bsttery would not charge when plugged into ac. In Vista it stated something like 'plugged In, Not Charging'.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[erik]

as long as the machine is still under warranty, your next step should be to call lenovo tech support to get it diagnosed.

[jodymr]

Unfortunately it is not under warranty otherwise I would have definitely sent it in.

[ajkula66]

You may want to drop fellow forum jamiphar a PM or an email...

[Troels]

If it said something along the lines of "plugged in, not charging" and the smell only appears when the battery is inserted, i'd bet your battery is the culprit.
Under warranty or not, i think this would be of high importance to Lenovo, if there's a bad batch somehwere that needs to be recalled.

Just curious, do you know when your battery was made? Did you notice any kind of sudden drop in battery capacity or any other weird things?

[sktn77a]

I would call Lenovo anyway. Sounds like the battery has shorted out and, based on the smoke, this is a safety issue. I would ask them to inspect and test the computer (without charge) and "respond" to the safety problem you have identified with the replacement battery.

[jodymr]

If it said something along the lines of "plugged in, not charging" and the smell only appears when the battery is inserted, i'd bet your battery is the culprit.
Under warranty or not, i think this would be of high importance to Lenovo, if there's a bad batch somehwere that needs to be recalled.

Just curious, do you know when your battery was made? Did you notice any kind of sudden drop in battery capacity or any other weird things?

I'm not sure when it was manufactured (I don't see a date on it); about all I can find is the part # FRU 92P1133 and Serial # 11S92P1134Z1ZDB77971L2.

As far as capacity goes, the most noteworthy thing to add here is that I rarely use my notebook without AC power. I use a docking station at work and plug it in when I'm using it at home. When the issue occured, I was using it on battery at my relatives house because I wasn't near a convenient outlet. The battery was working fine, but it got down to 6% and still would not charge when plugged in.

[Harryc]

Battery Bar Code: 11S92P1134Z1ZDB77971L2
Your battery is not affected by the recall.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... ATT-LENOVO

[jodymr]

Battery Bar Code: 11S92P1134Z1ZDB77971L2
Your battery is not affected by the recall.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... ATT-LENOVO

Thanks for the info, but I was aware of that. The battery in question is the replacement battery to my original "recall" battery.

[carbon_unit]

If the battery is less than a year old I would call and try to get a new one. The worst case is they would just say NO.

[jodymr]

I was actually planning on contacting Lenovo to send it in, but quckly found out that Lenovo apparently does not do out of warranty repairs.

I do think I'll contact Lenovo and ask them to inspect and test the system as suggested.

Thanks again everybody for taking the time to respond.

[carbon_unit]

You could always extend your warranty, then send it in.

[sktn77a]

Will Lenovo permit you to buy an extended warranty after the original warranty has expired?

[carbon_unit]

I used to think not but I had seen some posts here indicating that they do now. I guess jodymr will have to call and see.

[DAH]

If it said something along the lines of "plugged in, not charging" and the smell only appears when the battery is inserted, i'd bet your battery is the culprit.
Under warranty or not, i think this would be of high importance to Lenovo, if there's a bad batch somehwere that needs to be recalled.

Just curious, do you know when your battery was made? Did you notice any kind of sudden drop in battery capacity or any other weird things?

Nothing at all odd about that message under Vista, it simply indicates that the battery has been charged and does not require recharging at this point.

[jodymr]

Nothing at all odd about that message under Vista, it simply indicates that the battery has been charged and does not require recharging at this point.

Yes, there is something odd about the message when it says it all the way down to 6% and still wouldn't charge the battery. I realize that there is a threshhold (user adjustable) where the battery will not get re-charged until it goes below a certain percentage (such as 96% as you show), but this is an entirely different situation.

I have been using ThinkPads since the late 90's and also manage a computer department that currently has about 20 ThinkPads of various models "out in the field" (A20p all the way to T61p). I am quite familiar with ThinkPads and have repaired them, swapped parts out etc. for years. However, I have never had nor am I familiar with dealing with a power problem of this nature which is why I'm seeking advice on these forums.

The only reason I add this is to point out that I am not a "newbie" or "non-technical" type.

[DAH]

Note from Moderator: Snipped excessive quoting.

I apologize, I had not seen where you had stated that the battery was at 6% previously.

[jodymr]

I apologize, I had not seen where you had stated that the battery was at 6% previously.

No problem. I've been on the phone with Lenovo much of this morning regarding this issue (and getting quite frustrated ). All I've gotten so far is basically "It's not under warranty so send it in and we'll fix it for somewhere between $175 and $575". On one hand they are right, but on the other hand this is a serious safety issue that should not occur regardless of whether it is in or out of warranty.

[erik]

All I've gotten so far is basically "It's not under warranty so send it in and we'll fix it for somewhere between $175 and $575". On one hand they are right, but on the other hand this is a serious safety issue that should not occur regardless of whether it is in or out of warranty.

you have to look at it from their perspective of not having the machine in their hands, not knowing what the cause was, and not knowing if the fix will involve replacing system components or just the battery.   telephone diagnostics are very difficult in a case like yours.   it very well might be a safety issue depending on what caused the failure but the machine would still need to be in someone's hands to determine this for sure.

good luck with the repair.   i hope all goes well and it proves to be something simple.

[jodymr]

Note from Moderator: Snipped excessive quoting.

you have to look at it from their perspective of not having the machine in their hands, not knowing what the cause was, and not knowing if the fix will involve replacing system components or just the battery.

Thank you for the reply and well wishes Erik.

I don't expect them to be able to diagnose the problem over the phone. Also, I don't think it very well might be a safety issue, I think it very well is. I would just hope that they would take the issue of a possible "exploding battery" seriously and atleast give me a free diagnosis due to the nature of the problem and potential safety concern. The only user configurable option I basically have with a battery is put it in and take it out. Beyond that (assuming I use my notebook in a normal and reasonable manner of course) I have to rely on the battery and notebook to power and charge in the proper way. The notebook has been very well taken care of. I have not dropped it or damaged it in any way.

[erik]

jody, i don't doubt it's an issue for you and apologize if my intent was unclear in my statement.   to me a "safety issue" is one that is widespread and/or easily replicated and affects a mass of consumers.   given the almost nonexistent cases of catastrophic battery failures in thinkpads posted on various forums, your case may be an isolated incident.

i agree that diagnosis and replacement/repair should be at minimal or no cost to you but unfortunately that decision isn't mine to make.   all i can say right now is what i've said above.

[John H]

Will Lenovo permit you to buy an extended warranty after the original warranty has expired?

Does anyone know the answer?

I'd like to extend my warranty on this used T60 I bought. The original warranty expired in December.

[carbon_unit]

Call them up and ask.