Sony just announced a massive laptop batch recall, as a result of what might appear to be faulty wiring. The company’s decision will lead to the recall of about 500,000 units, with more than 70,000 of them sold in the United States over the past year.

The recall was considered mandatory after the company received 15 reports of overheating for its VGN-TZ100, VGN-TZ200, VGN-TZ300, and VGN-TZ2000 laptop series. Also, the overheating issue caused a few burns for some of the users, fortunately, all minor.

Sony explained the situation so that its clients understand the need for such a measure. "This poses a burn hazard to consumers. Sony has initiated a voluntary program to perform a free inspection and, if necessary, a repair to ensure these units meet our high quality standards." Its officials also added that the reason this issue did not appear during the quality control tests is because the problem takes time to emerge and there was no chance of spending that much time with each unit.

"At no charge, Sony will provide an inspection and, if necessary, on-site repair at your home or office. Alternatively, you can ship your notebook to our service center," VAIO division Senior Vice President Mike Abary wrote in a recall notice.
Apparently, the problem affects all models sold between July 2007 and August 2008 and users should be aware at all times that "irregularly placed wires near the hinge, or a dislodged screw inside the hinge, may create a short circuit, causing localized overheating."