HP issues worldwide recall of faulty laptop batteries

Computer manufacturer HP has today announced that some of its laptops may contain faulty and potentially dangerous batteries. HP is asking owners to contact its customer service team immediately for a replacement battery.

The news comes at the tail-end of a disastrous week for computer manufacturers. This HP laptop news is hot on the heels of the Spectre and Meltdownprocessor problems - security risks that affect practically all modern computing devices.

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, HP revealed that a selection of its laptops manufactured between 2015 and 2017 are affected by a battery fault that makes them a potential fire risk. HP is advising laptop owners to check immediately if their model is one of the affected ranges.

Read our full guide to understanding your rights with product recalls

Is my computer affected?

HP has revealed a list of the models affected by the problem, which are:

Probook series:

• HP ProBook 640 G2
• HP ProBook 640 G3
• HP ProBook 645 G2
• HP ProBook 645 G3
• HP ProBook 650 G2
• HP ProBook 650 G3
• HP ProBook 655 G2
• HP ProBook 655 G3

ZBook series:

• HP ZBook 17 G3
• HP ZBook 17 G4
• HP ZBook Studio G3

X360 series:

• HP X360 310 G2

Pavilion series:

• HP Pavilion x360

Envy series:

• HP Envy m6

11 series:

• HP 11 Notebook PC

HP battery scanning tool available

While these ranges are the ones HP that has singled out as potentially having the battery problem, not all of HP's many laptop models are affected. To check if your laptop is one of the unlucky ones, HP has provided a tool on its website to download that will scan your computer and identify if it has the rogue battery.

If you're an HP laptop owner, you can runits laptop scanner here.

If the tool identifies your laptop as having the faulty battery, it will enact aBattery Safety Mode, effectively rendering the battery useless and only allowing the laptop to be powered from the mains. While this should reduce the chance of any damage being done, it is imperative that you still contact HP for a replacement battery.

If you are unsure if your laptop is one of the above, contact HP's customer services on 0207 660 0596 for assistance.

What will happen to my HP laptop?

If your laptop is one of the models affected, HP will replace the battery without charging a fee. It is important to ensure that you contact HP directly to deal with this recall, via the link provided below:

Head to HP's official battery replacement support site

Don't take your laptop to a third-party repair company, as the battery is not user-replaceable. Plus, you won't be afforded the same level of service you would get from the official recall programme, and you may also be charged a fee.

Once you have contacted HP, a technician will contact you to arrange a visit to replace the battery, in your own home. HP state that once it is contacted, customers can expect a response within three to five business days.

A spokesperson for HP stated:

“The quality and safety of all HP products is our top priority.We recently learned that batteries provided by one of our suppliers for certain notebook computers and mobile workstations present a potential safety concern. We are taking immediate action to address this issueincluding a voluntary recall and replacement of the batteries. This action pertains to approximately 0.1 percent of the HP systems sold globally over the past two years.”