IBM Recall of AC Adapters for Notebook Computers

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2004
Release # 04-208
IBM Recall Hotline: (800) 410-5629
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

CPSC, IBM Announce Recall of AC Adapters for Notebook Computers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the following recall in voluntary cooperation with the firm below. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: AC Power Adapters

Units: About 225,000

Importer: International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., of Armonk, N.Y.

Manufacturer: Delta Electronics Inc., of Taipei, Taiwan

Hazard: The adapters can overheat, cause damage to the circuit board and melt through the housing, which poses a fire and electrical shock hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: IBM has received six reports of incidents, including some with minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recalled 56W AC power adapters were shipped primarily with IBM ThinkPad i Series, 390 and 240 Series, and s Series notebook computers. The adapters have three hollow pins at the AC inlet and part number 02K6549 on a label on the top of the unit. The IBM logo appears on top of the unit. Adapters with solid pins are not included in this recall.

Sold at: Electronics and computer stores nationwide, the IBM Web site, phone orders, mail-order catalogs, and resellers sold the adapters with the ThinkPad computers from January 1999 through August 2000. The adapters also were sold as an accessory during that time for about $55.

Manufactured in: China.

Remedy: Consumers should unplug the recalled adapters from the wall outlet immediately and contact IBM for a free replacement unit.

Consumer Contact: Call IBM at (800) 410-5629 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or log on to IBM’s replacement unit Web site at www.AdapterProgram.com

Picture of Recalled AC Power Adapters with hollow pins