Hewlett Packard just announced that it will recall more than 6 million power cords because of their propensity to overheat and potentially cause fires. The power cords plug in to a wide array of products, including Compaq notebooks, mini notebook computers and other devices like dock stations.
The cord in question is called the LS-15. It’s a black cord with its name molder on the adapter end. Computers with this cord date back to 2010 and were issued with the cord until 2012. According to the US Product Safety Commission, “HP has received 29 reports of power cords overheating and melting or charring resulting in two claims of minor burns and 13 claims of minor property damage.”
In 2013, the HP Chromebook 11 was removed from store shelves after Google and HP admitted that the charger had a tendency to overheat. One year earlier, HP was forced to pay $425,000 to settle a claim that it knowingly let potentially dangerous batteries could overheat and catch fire. The US Product Safety Commission claimed that HP knew about 22 battery explosions dated from 2007 and didn’t act to rectify the situation for nearly a year. HP recalled 90,000 units by 2011.
The US Product Safety Commission has recently cracked down on Little Marc Jacobs hooded girl jackets because of the strangulation hazard a drawstring in the neck area creates. On their website, they also noted that drawstrings in children’s clothing can get caught in playground slides, hand rails and school bus doors. Another hazardous product that was stopped in its tracks is the Multi-Purpose Outdoor Shelter, sold exclusively by BJ’s. The shelter fails to comply with a voluntary flammability standard and therefore poses a fire hazard to consumers.
Featured image via flickr/włodi
Photo by Linghao
