Sony is recalling thousands of its Vaio portable computers, citing a potential hazard that could cause them to overheat or short circuit.
The Kyodo news agency said the recall was for 440,000 units worldwide. Sony said on its website that the issue involves a small number of units that may overheat due to a wiring problem.
The US Consumer Products Safety Commission said on Thursday the recall is for 74,000 machines in the United States, after Sony received 15 reports of overheating, including one consumer who suffered a minor burn.
“Sony has initiated a voluntary program to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards.”
The company said the recall is for its VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000 series.
Sony has been dogged in recent years by recalls of laptop computer batteries, amid concerns they would overheat and catch fire. In 2006, Dell, Apple, Lenovo Group, Toshiba and some other PC makers recalled more than eight million Sony batteries.