Apple Battery Recall Program

Apple is recalling certain lithium-ion, rechargeable batteries that were used with various models of its portable lines sold between October 2003 and August 2006. There is a possibility that these batteries can overheat, which could cause a fire risk.

Affected machines sold in the United States include:

• Apple PowerBook G4 12-inch and PowerBook G4 15-inch
• Apple iBook/G4 12-inch

These include some, but not all, of the Apple PowerBook G4s and iBook/G4s sold in the 2004 and 2005 Back-To-School sales. These batteries were also sold as replacement batteries for the listed models.

Apple is prepared to dispatch a replacement battery upon the receipt of the replacement order. Customers will be asked to return their old batteries to Apple to ensure proper disposal. A postage-paid envelope will be provided to do so.

No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are part of this recall and no MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries are part of this recall. The recall involves the specified batteries only, not the computers themselves.

Identifying your battery

Use the chart below to identify the battery model and serial numbers that apply to the iBook or PowerBook. If the first 5 digits of the battery's 12-digit serial number fall within the noted ranges, please order a replacement battery immediately.

Important note: the initial ranges of serial numbers posted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was slightly wider than the actual recalled ranges for the PowerBook G4 12-inch and the iBook/G4 12-inch. PowerBook G4 15-inch ranges are unchanged from the original CPSC posting.

To view the model and serial numbers labeled on the bottom of the battery, remove the battery from the computer. The battery serial number is printed in black or dark grey lettering beneath a barcode, in a form resembling that shown to the right of this paragraph. If your serial numbers do not match the information listed in the table above, you do not need a replacement battery.

For more information and pointers to instructions on how to inspect your battery, and how to begin the battery exchange process, see Apple's Battery Exchange Program page.

--John Mulhern III, Senior Project Leader, ISC Technology Support Services (August 24, 2006)