Do a Google search for "Dell battery fire" and you can get the straight story. Certain model Dells back around 2006 had a flaw. There was a major recall program to replace the defective batteries. Dell had a special website where owners could search to see if they were included. It was a serious problem, but not a widespread problem.

Sedgwick County has lots of Dell laptops. I remember the internal search of serial numbers and swapping out a few batteries back then. No fires here that I know of.

Problem with recalls for defects -- whether defective laptop batteries, cars, table saws or whatever -- is that not all owners get the word. Some of us never send in registration cards or go online to register. We buy stuff used (my wife uses a refurb Dell laptop) that's off the radar of the manufacturer doing the recall.

There have been similar instances of other lithium batteries overheating in phones and other devices, resulting in melt downs, burns and (rarely) fires. Sometimes, these were due to defects, sometimes due to some misuse/abuse of the device. Bottom line, no need to stop using Dell laptops or devices powered by lithium batteries in general.

// Douglas K. King, Records Mgr / Freedom of Info Offcr, MA, ERM-M
|| Sedgwick Cnty Gov DIO/IT Operations / Records Mgmt Srvcs
|| Sedgwick County Courthouse / 525 N. Main /  Wichita KS 67203
|| 316.660.9846   mailto:[log in to unmask]
\\  www.sedgwickcounty.org   "Sedgwick County ... working for you"

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