IBM/Lenovo Battery Recall Program

Note: This document has been significantly revised since it was first published as a news article in September, 2006. The original article is here.

IBM and Lenovo are recalling certain lithium-ion, rechargeable batteries that were used with various models of their portable lines sold between February 2005 and September 2006. There is a possibility that these batteries can overheat, which could cause a fire risk.

Affected machines sold in the United States include:

• IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43, T43p, T60, and T60p (note that the T60p was a recent addition to this list)
• IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad X60 and X60s
• IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad R51e, R52, R60, and R60e

These include some, but not all, of the IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad T43s, ThinkPad T43ps, ThinkPad T60s, and ThinkPad T60ps sold in the 2005 and 2006 Back-To-School sales. These batteries were also sold during the affected period as replacement batteries for the listed models, along with the ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p, R50, R50e, R50p, and R51 models.

Lenovo is prepared to dispatch a replacement battery upon the receipt of the replacement order via web form (suggested) or telephone. Customers will be asked to return their old batteries to Lenovo to ensure proper disposal. A postage-paid envelope will be provided to do so.

No other ThinkPad batteries are part of this recall. The recall involves the specified batteries only, not the computers themselves.

Identifying your battery

Lenovo suggests, and Information Systems & Computing (ISC) agrees, that the most reliable and convenient way to identify a recalled battery is to download Lenovo's identification utility available here.

For users who do not wish to run this utility and/or are not running Microsoft Windows, Lenovo has an identification web form with a Battery Part Number Entry Box on their Battery Recall page.

To view the 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. If your serial number does not match when entered into the web form, you do not need a replacement battery.

Whether you use the identification utility or the identification web form, the identification of a battery that is part of the recall will take you to a second web form which will start the exchange process.

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

--John Mulhern III, Senior Project Leader, ISC Technology Support Services (October 5, 2006)