Almost 80,000 HP laptops recalled due to fears the battery could overheat

COMPUTER giant HP is recalling 78,500 laptops due to fears the battery could overheat and cause fires.

The move is an extension of a recall first announced in January 2018, which then involved 50,000 devices.

At the time it said you be affected if you own an HP ProBook, ZBook, x360, Pavilion, ENVY or HP 11 model.

HP has now added 10 more laptops to the recall, as the models are compatible with the fire risk batteries.

If you've bought the products, you should request a replacement battery and apply a software update that switches your battery into a safe mode, which will prevent it from charging, HP urged customers in a website statement.

The extended recall was first issued by HP in January, but the US Consumer Product Safety Commission only announced it now due to a US government shutdown, which was the longest in the nation's history.

The product recalls come after the commission reported HP had received eight reports of the batteries overheating or melting, with one owner suffering first-degree burns.

The laptops were sold around the world between December 2015 to April 2018 for between £264 and £3,526 ($300-$4,000), while the batteries were also sold as separate accessories.

Affected products

BELOW are the products that could be affected by the battery issue.

Probook 640 G2
Probook 645 G2
Probook 650 G2
Probook 650 G2
Probook 640 G3
Probook 645 G3
Probook 650 G3
Probook 655 G3
Zbook 17 G3
Zbook Studio G3
X360 310 G2
Pavillion x360
ENVY m6
11 Notebook PC

The below models are also compatible with the fire risk batteries, so if you've replaced or added a battery to any of these, make sure you check.

ProBook 430 G5
ProBook 440 G5
ProBook 450 G5
ProBook 455 G5
ProBook 470 G5
ZBook Studio G4
ENVY 15
mt20
mt21
mt31

To check if your laptop is affected, you should download a tool from HP's website.

Even if you checked your battery after last year’s recall, you should do so again as it's been extended to include more products.

If it identifies your laptop as being affected, you'll get the chance to put your computer into "Battery Safe Mode".

This will allow you to carry on using your laptop safely by using its mains adaptor instead until a HP technician can replace it free of charge.

Customers are not able to replace the battery themselves, the firm said.

The Sun contacted HP for a comment as well as a clarification on how many of the affected products were sold in the UK.