HP Recalls Laptop Batteries

HP has issued a voluntary recall for the lithium-ion batteries in over a dozen laptop models due to threats of fire and burns.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the computer manufacturer has received seven reports of HP battery packs overheating or melting. Four of those reports involved property damage.

All told, the recall affects nearly 41,000 devices produced by HP and sold between March 2013 and August 2015. The list includes models from the HP ProBook, HP ENVY, HP Pavilion Notebook and Compaq Presario lines, as well as batteries sold as accessories and provided as replacements. (We have one 15.6-inch HP Pavilion model among the laptops recommended in our Ratings.)

The batteries—priced in the $50 to $90 range—contain cells manufactured by Panasonic, which was recently linked to a recall involving batteries in Sony's Vaio-branded laptops.

HP advises customers to stop using the batteries in the specified laptops immediately and to power the devices with a plug instead. To see if your laptop is affected, you can refer to the identification tools outlined on this page. The site also includes information on how to request a replacement battery free of charge.

Only 1% of the HP notebooks sold during the two-year period are affected by the voluntary recall, according to the company.