Lenovo Recalling More Than 500,000 Power Cords

By Kevin Parrish
published

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that Lenovo is recalling around 500,000 power cords in the United States and 44,000 cords in Canada. Consumers are advised to immediately discontinue use of these cords and to contact Lenovo for a free replacement.

According to the listing, Lenovo has received 15 complaints originating from outside of the United States. These complaints involve burning, sparking and overheating when using the "LS-15" power cord supplied with Lenovo laptops that were sold within the February 2011 to June 2012 window.

"The power cords were distributed with IdeaPad brand B-, G-, S-, U-, V- and Z-series laptop computers and Lenovo brand B-, G- and V-series laptop computers," read the warning. "The recalled power cords are black in color and have the 'LS-15' molded mark on the AC adapter end. The manufacture date code in the format REV: 00 YYMM is on a label attached to the cord."

A full list of laptops affected by the recall can be seen here. The FAQ states that Lenovo is only recalling the cord that connects the AC power adapter to the electrical socket in the wall. Customers will likely receive their new replacement 7 to 10 business days after the recall order has been placed. Until then, consumers will have to rely on the laptop's battery.

So if customers can't continue to use the "defective" cord until the new one arrives, how will they keep their battery charged? Use a third-party solution? Lenovo advises against this, saying that the company has no idea if these solutions are safe. Naturally, the company wants customers to use power cords provided by Lenovo or authorized resellers.

Consumers who have determined that they're using the "LS-125" power cord need to contact Lenovo immediately at 1-877-453-6686from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Customers can also go to Lenovo's website and click on this link, which provides additional recall information.

News of a power cord recall arrives after Lenovo recalled lithium-ion batteries back in March that were supplied with ThinkPad notebooks shipped between October 2010 and April 2011. These defective batteries overheated, causing damage to the battery itself, the laptop and the surrounding area. Lenovo said that there have been no reports of injuries.

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Kevin Parrish
8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gggplaya
    Europes 220v is less efficiently regulated down to 19v's then the US's 120v. More heat, means more problems.
    Reply
  • Jake Hall
    HAHAHA... that's what you get when you outsource your power source
    Reply
  • WFang
    Europes 220v is less efficiently regulated down to 19v's then the US's 120v. More heat, means more problems.

    sure, but this problem is in the power cord, not in the conversion from AC to DC. In this case, the higher voltage means less current flows in the AC cord, thus less heat is expected in the cable hardware, not more.
    Reply
  • sportfreak23
    Expected this recall.
    Reply
  • qlum
    From what I know going down from 230v is actually more efficient then the american voltages, just look at power supply efficiency, the European figures are just a bit more efficient.
    Reply
  • niksal12
    I believe that you made a mistake at the end of your article: "that they're using the "LS-125" power cord". Shouldn't that be LS-15? HP had the same recall as well for these cords.
    Reply
  • m00fin
    That's what happens when you buy cheap "copper" for $10 a mile from China. It's got so much other junk in it that at any particular gauge it can handle less current than high purity copper, leading to potential overheating and fire hazards.
    Reply
  • zodiacfml
    Guys, no. Voltage has nothing to do here, as others said, higher voltages are better. The US is actually behind this spec. It also doesn't have to do with the purity of the copper used.
    I suspect it is the design/reliability/quality of the mechanical connector to the AC adapter which becomes weak/loose causing the sparking, heating, then burning.
    Reply