Nokia warns consumers over battery glitch

NOKIA has announced a problem with the battery in some of its models and has advised consumers to check their mobile and to seek a free replacement battery if the serial number is consistent with those identified by the company.

The product battery BL-5C advisory does not apply to any other phone batteries, Nokia said in a statement.

“Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the affected batteries could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia is working closely with relevant local authorities to investigate this situation,” the company said.

Nokia has several suppliers for the batteries, which have collectively produced more than 300 million BL-5C batteries. The advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006.

“There have been approximately 100 incidents of overheating reported globally. No serious injuries or property damage have been reported,” Nokia said.

It said that consumers with a BL-5C battery subject to the advisory should note that all of the approximately 100 incidents had occurred while charging the battery. According to Nokia’s knowledge, this issue does not affect any other use of the mobile device.

“Concerned consumers may want to monitor a mobile device while charging that contains a BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory,” it added.

It said that for consumers wishing to do so, Nokia and Matsushita offered to replace for free any BL-5C battery affected. Consumers are advised to check if their battery is a BL-5C but points out that not all BL-5C batteries are affected.

“On the back of the battery, the Nokia mark appears at the top, and the battery identification number consisting of 26 characters is found at the bottom. If the battery identification number does not contain 26 characters, it is not subject to this product advisory,” Nokia said.

Consumers can check if the identification number on the back of their battery corresponds with those affected by typing it in the box at Nokia’s product advisory website located at http://www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement/en/

BOX
The BL-5C batteries which are subject to the product advisory were used with the following Nokia models or separately as accessories:
Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

This product advisory applies also to the following accessories:
Nokia Wireless GPS Module LD-1W, Nokia Wireless GPS Module LD-3W

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