There is a growing trend of laptop batteries overheating, catching on fire, and exploding into flames. Apple, HP, Toshiba, and Dell have recalled millions of lithium-ion laptop batteries due to fire hazards in recent years.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting laptop fire induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been burned by a lithium-ion laptop battery fire, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Apple Recalls 15-inch 2015 Apple MacBook Pro Laptop for Fire Risk
June 2019 — Apple has recalled certain 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops from 2015 because the battery can overheat and potentially catch on fire. Click here to read more.
HP Recalls Laptop Batteries for Fire & Burn Hazard
January 8, 2018 — HP is recalling about 50,000 lithium-ion laptop batteries after 8 reports of overheating, melting, or charring, as well as 1 report of a person who suffered a minor burn injury. Click here to read more.
What is the problem?
Laptop fires are mostly caused by overheating the high-energy lithium-ion battery or another component in the computer. Fires can also occur if the battery case is even slightly damaged. The problem is that laptop batteries contain highly-flammable chemicals that can explode.
Laptop Fires and Lithium-Ion Batteries
Laptops and most other portable consumer electronics contain lithium-ion batteries. These batteries have skyrocketed in popularity because they recharge quickly and pack a lot of power into a small size. When the batteries get too hot, flammable chemicals in the battery can boil and rupture the plastic case. These chemicals may leak out and explode into flames when they hit a spark of electricity in the laptop.
Laptop Fire on Plane Forces Emergency Landing
On May 31, 2017, a laptop battery fire at 38,000 feet in the air forced JetBlue Flight 915 to make an emergency landing in Michigan. The flight crew was able to put out the fire before the plane landed. No one was injured, but incidents like these are becoming more common.
How Common Are Laptop Fires on Planes?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says laptops catch on fire in airports or on airplanes every 10 days on average. There were 31 laptop fires in 2016 — double the number in 2015 and triple the number in 2014, showing how common laptop fires have become.
Dell Recalls 4.1 Million Laptop Batteries
One of the largest laptop battery recalls was in August 2006, when Dell Computers recalled 4.1 million lithium-ion batteries sold from April 2004 through July 2006 after reports of fires and explosions:
- Dell Latitude™ D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810
- Dell Inspiron™ 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705
- Dell Precision™ M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations
- Dell XPS,™ XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710
HP Recalls 500,000+ Laptop Batteries
Hewlett Packard (HP) has recalled over 500,000 laptop batteries for fire hazards since 2005. There have been dozens of incidents and at least 19 burn injuries reported.
HP recalled around 140,000 laptop batteries in two recalls in June 2016 and January 2017. In earlier years, at least 6 more recalls have been issued for approximately 450,000 HP laptop batteries:
- October 2005 — 135,000 batteries, 16 incidents
- April 2006 — 16,000 batteries, 20 incidents, 1 burn injury
- October 2008 — 32,000 batteries
- May 2009 — 70,000 batteries, 2 incidents
- May 2010 — 54,000 batteries, 38 incidents, 11 injuries
- May 2011 — 162,000 batteries, 40 incidents, 7 burn injuries, 1 smoke inhalation injury
Toshiba Recalls 184,000 Laptop Batteries
In January 2017, Toshiba expanded a recall for 83,000 laptop batteries to include another 101,000 batteries. Toshiba received 5 reports of batteries overheating and melting. The recall involves certain Toshiba Satellite, Satellite Pro, Portégé, Tecra, and Toshiba-brand laptops. The laptop batteries that were sold from June 2011 to November 2016.
Do I have a Laptop Fire Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting laptop fire induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been burned by a lithium-ion laptop battery fire, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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