Yesterday, HP recalled an unexpected product: the power leads that shipped with its laptops throughout September 2010 and June 2012. (We here at ToT are more use to writing about auto recalls.)
This power cord (model number LS-15) is being recalled because of fire and burn hazards due to the cable overheating. HP has received 29 complaints about overheating LS-15 cables, 13 of which included claims of minor property damage. That’s apparently enough to have the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and HP recall over six million cables. Most of these are in the U.S. and Canada. Some Compaq-branded laptops also came with this cable.
The U.S. CPSC advises customers to stop using these cables immediately and contact HP for a replacement. In the meantime, the agency’s proposed solution is for folks to use the laptops off battery power — which is pretty much a non-solution solution.
