Massive Sony laptop recall

Just when we thought we were safe from our notebooks, Sony has announced it is recalling nearly half a million units due to potentially faulty wiring. About 73,000 of those were sold to U.S. consumers.

The recall is the result of 15 reports of overheating (and one case of a customer being burned) in the VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300, and VGN-TZ2000 series of laptops. (The TZ is the super-miniature laptop to which Steve Jobs famously compared the MacBook Air.) The problem has been traced to wiring and screws located near the hinge (all laptops have cords routed through this tight area), which can cause a short circuit and overheating.

Sony is no stranger to the laptop recall. The vast majority of laptop battery recalls back in 2006 (of which there were about eight million) were eventually traced back to battery packs the company had made. This new flaw is not directly related to the battery, however.

For more details on the recall, visit this support page, or call 888-526-6219 to see if your machine needs to be returned for repair. More details can be found here.