Legal News

Sony Corporation has announced a recall of 535,000 Vaio laptop computers due to issues with over-heating. Instances of Vaios over-heating and damaging their casings have been reported. No reports of injuries from burns have been made, but according to the computer maker, it is a concern.

PCWorld reports that the problems have affected some units of the VPCF11 and VPCCW2 series of notebook PCs. According to a blog post by Mike Lucas, senior vice president of Vaio for Sony, the heating issues are "due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system."

According to reports, the heat management system in the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) of affected Vaio laptops is not functioning properly and can cause the system to run hot. PCWorld writes the system for the Vaio laptop was developed by a third party, and customized for Sony by yet another third party. However, Sony tested it on the Vaio platform before releasing it to the public.

Sony has said that a firmware fix of a BIOS update is available. The company is directing users with affected Vaio laptops to apply the update to prevent overheating issues. A Sony statement also suggests, "If you have any questions or need additional assistance with the firmware update installation, call Sony technical support at (866) 496-7669 for assistance."

PCWorld says that the BIOS update, while not overly difficult, can be "daunting" for less technologically advanced users. They strongly recommend having all data backed up before beginning the update. Also, users are told to plug in the laptop before starting the update. Running out of power in the middle of the BIOS update and interrupting the process "could result in turning the laptop into a glorified paper weight."

If this sounds like too complicated a task, Sony will arrange for a pick up of a unit under recall. To find out if your unit is affected, you can go to the Sony Vaio support page by clicking here.

Related Resources:

• Sony Issues BIOS Update for Recalled Vaio Laptops (PCWorld)
• Sony Recalls Half a Million Notebooks for Getting Hot Enough Burn Skin (Wired)
• Defective and Dangerous Products - FAQ (FindLaw)
• Recently in Computers / Laptops / Netbooks Category of FindLaw's Technologist Blog
• Personal Injuries from Dangerous or Defective Products (provided by Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman, P.C.)
• Personal Injury FAQ (provided by Sherman Law, PLLC)