Nokia on Tuesday warned consumers that as many as 46 million cell phone batteries could overheat and dislodge themselves from their chargers.
So far, according to the Nokia release, there have been about 100 reported incidents of the BL-5C batteries overheating as a result of a short circuit that occurs while charging.
The defective batteries were manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. Nokia said it will replace the batteries for free and thus far, there have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage.
To find out if your Nokia cell phone uses the BL-5C battery, go to the company’s product advisory page.
The BL-5C is one of 14 different battery models used in Nokia products. Matsushita is one several manufacturers supplying batteries for its phones.
“Nokia has identified that in very rare cases, the Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge,” the company said in a statement.
Less than a year ago, several laptop makers were forced to recall more than 9.6 million laptop PC batteries manufactured by Sony after discovering some could overheat and catch fire.
Nokia shares closed down 64 cents to $29.84 in Tuesday trading.