HP Just Recalled Six Million Laptop Power Cords Due To Fire And Burn Hazard

If you purchased any HP or Compaq laptop between September 2010 and June 2012, you may have a faulty power cord potentially capable of causing skin burns or fires, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This has resulted in a recall by Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard of approximately six million power leads.
The power lead is the portion of an AC Adapter that extends from the power brick to the wall outlet. The recall specifically targets the LS-15 AC power cord which was distributed globally with HP and Compaq notebooks, mini-notebooks, and certain AC adapter-powered accessories like docking stations. Look for the “LS-15″ mark branded into the cord itself.
HP indicates that they’ve received “29 separate reports of power cords overheating and melting or charring resulting in two claims of minor burns and 13 claims of minor property damage.”

According to HP, this affects 5.5 million power cords in the US, and 446,000 in Canada. They’re recommending that customers immediately stop using the laptop and unplug the power cord (it’s perfectly safe to operate these notebooks under battery power).
As you’d expect, HP is offering a free replacement, and you can get in touch with the company two ways: Head to HP.com, navigate to the bottom of the page and click “Recalls” followed by “Power Cord Recall,” or call their customer service line at (877) 219-6676 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT.
While it’s a sure bet that only a small percentage of the 6 million recalled power cords are faulty, this is one situation you don’t want to leave to chance. Reach out to HP if you have any doubts or concerns whatsoever.

G.M. Recall Total in 2014 Reaches 4.8 Million

General Motors announced on Saturday morning that it was recalling 490,000 trucks and 172,000 compact cars, meaning the automaker has now recalled about 4.8 million vehicles in the United States during the first three months of the year. That is about six times the number of vehicles it recalled in all of 2013.

This year’s recalls involve many of G.M.’s most popular and best-known models.

The recall announced on Saturday morning covers the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, as well as the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL with six-speed automatic transmissions. G.M. said a loose fitting for the transmission’s oil cooler line could allow oil leaks and possibly lead to fires. The automaker said it was aware of three fires but no injuries linked to the defect, and officials decided to recall the vehicles within a week of learning of the problem, said Alan Adler, a G.M. spokesman.


The compact cars being recalled are the 2013-14 Cruze models with 1.4 liter four-cylinder engines. G.M. said the right-front axle half-shaft could break, cutting power to the front wheels, although the engine would continue to run and the steering and brakes would still function. The company said it was aware of several dozen episodes but was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/business/total-of-gm-vehicle-recalls-in-2014-hits-4-8-million.html?hpw&rref=automobiles&_r=0