Sony recalls Vaio notebooks

Sony is recalling several Vaio models

Sony has issued a voluntary recall for several of its Vaio notebook models.

The recall is due to an overheating issue said to affect some 73,000 machines in the US and as many as 428,000 worldwide.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that the issue stems from a problem in the wiring on Sony's 11in Vaio VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300 and VGN-TZ2000 series notebooks.

All four of the recalled lines were sold between July 2007 and August 2008.

The overheating issue arises when a screw inside the hinge on the notebook's case is dislodged. The loose screw can short-circuit the machine, causing overheating to dangerous levels.

The CPSC said that it was aware of at least 15 reports of notebooks overheating, one of which caused the user to suffer minor burns as a result.

News of the recall brings back images of 2006, when a defect in Sony's batteries led to millions of notebooks from such big names as Dell, Toshiba, and Apple being recalled. The problems cost Sony hundreds of millions of dollars.

The latest overheating issues are not believed to be related to any battery problems.

Sony has set up a web site for Vaio owners to check whether their machines are being recalled.