Laptop giant Lenovo adds its name to the list of manufacturers who have had to recall laptop batteries over safety concerns.
Lenovo said it will make free-of-charge replacements available for customers affected by the recall of 205,000 batteries.
The company is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on the issue.
Laptops containing the recalled Sanyo (not Sony) battery packs may overheat, but specifically, they represent a potential safety hazard to users if the battery pack "experiences a strong external impact".
When asked to clarify this, Lenovo said that a drop from approximately desktop height - but landing at a very specific angle on the corner of the battery pack - might trigger the problem.
The outer plastic casing of the battery pack could crack under these circumstances, states the company, and the battery cells inside the pack could get severely dented, creating a short-circuit.
Affected models comprise the R60 and R60e Series, the T60 and T60p Series and the Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p Series. Note, however, that regular battery packs are not involved - only 9-cell battery packs with the part number FRU P/N 92P1131 are being recalled.
"Consumers who have battery packs affected by this recall and who intend to transport their ThinkPad or use it in a manner that may subject it to a strong external impact, should continue to use their computer by turning off the system, removing the battery, and only power the ThinkPad by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord," advises Lenovo.
"Customers should use only genuine ThinkPad battery packs obtained from either Lenovo or an authorised reseller."
We asked if the recall was related in any way to the Sony battery recall, but a company spokesperson said it was not.
"Last year's recall was due to a contaminant in the manufacturing process of the individual battery cells used inside the battery pack," they said.
"For this recall, the problem occurs when a specific version of our extended 9-cell battery pack receives a strong external impact, which may trigger an overheating incident."
More information is available from www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram and the UK Service Centre can be contacted by calling 08705 500900.
