Toshiba admits 41,000 laptops at risk of "melting"

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 3 Sep 2010 at 08:37

Toshiba has issued a recall for T130 Satellite laptops after some melted, burning two people.

A flaw with the power adaptor is causing overheating across three lines - the Satellite T135, Satellite T135D or Satellite ProT130.

"The defective harness may, in some circumstances, overheat to the point of melting the computer's base at the location where the AC adaptor plugs into the unit," Toshiba said.

The heat has lead to 129 complaints and reports of two minor burns and property damage, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Worldwide, 41,000 laptops are affected, but Toshiba wouldn't say how many were sold in the UK.

The action is being referred to as a recall by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and Toshiba in North America.

A spokesperson for the company in the UK said customers simply need to install a BIOS update to check for the flaw. "Should the BIOS determine that a harness failure is occurring, external power will immediately be disabled eliminating the possibility of the overheating," Toshiba said. "You will then need to contact the Toshiba call center to set up a warranty repair."

Toshiba said anyone noticing an overheating laptop should unplug it, save any work while battery power remains, and take it in for repair.

The full list of affected models and the BIOS update are available here.