Panasonic has initiated a recall of 6,000 laptop batteries over fears that they may overheat, according to media reports. 

The Matsushita owned company is recalling the affected batteries in Japan, Associated Press reports. 

Matsushita spokesman Akira Kadota told the agency that the batteries in question are used in the company's Let's Note CF-W4G model.

Unlike the recent Dell and Apple recalls, the batteries are not manufactured by Sony. Kadota declined to name the manufacturer because of an agreement not to disclose the information. 

Problems with the CF-W4G manufactured in April and May 2005 were reported earlier in the year.

According to Kadota, the battery cover can come loose which could cause the cells to heat up and change shape if the cover is damaged.

The recall is significantly smaller than those involving faulty battery units supplied by Sony last month.

Dell recalled 4.1 million Sony lithium-ion laptop cells because of a potential fire hazard on 15 August. Apple followed suit on 24 August recalling 1.8 million batteries for the same reason.

Sony estimated that the recalls will cost up to $265m. The company claimed that it has changed its battery manufacturing processes to address the issue and improve safety.