Nokia issued a product advisory for the Nokia-branded BL-5C battery manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. The product advisory does not apply to any other Nokia-branded battery.
Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the BL-5C batteries subject to the product advisory could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia claims it is working closely with Matsushita and will be cooperating with relevant local authorities to investigate this situation.
Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries that have collectively produced more than 300 million BL-5C batteries. The product advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006, for which there have been approximately 100 incidents of overheating reported globally. Nokia claims that no serious injuries or property damage have been reported.
Consumers with a BL-5C battery subject to the advisory should note that all of the approximately 100 incidents have occurred while charging the battery. According to Nokia, this issue does not affect use of the mobile device.
Consumers can request a free replacement of any BL-5C battery subject to the product advisory. It is however important to note that the BL-5C battery is not used in all Nokia products and that only a portion of the Nokia BL-5C batteries in use are subject to the advisory. 14 different battery models are used in Nokia products.
How to identify a BL-5C battery manufactured by Matsushita during the relevant period
In order to determine if a battery is subject to the product advisory, it is necessary to remove the battery from the device. A battery concerned will have "Nokia" and "BL-5C" printed on the front of the battery. On the reverse, the Nokia mark appears at the top and the battery identification number (consisting of 26 characters) is found at the bottom. Consumers should check the identification number against those subject to the product advisory to determine if their battery is among the batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006 for which they can have a replacement free of charge.
For details, consumers can visit the website www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement or contact the local Nokia call center, tel: (852) 2136 6338.
Source: Nokia http://www.nokia.com.hk