Panasonic expands their Toughbook H2 battery recall in America

Panasonic has just announced that they're "expanding the scope of the U.S. recall Panasonic voluntarily previously put in place of battery packs included with the Toughbook H2 rugged tablet PC and those sold separately or as a result of servicing" according to a press release.

This recall is for all Toughbook H2 battery packs manufactured between June 2011 and September 2012, following the original recall announced in May 2014 which covered battery packs manufactured between June 2011 and May 2012. The reason these batteries are being asked for return is due to a possibility of them overheating and catching on fire due to manufacturer issues.

If you're unsure about your battery packs qualification for this recall, you can check your model number and manufacturing lot number on the battery pack itself. There are two battery slots on your device, located on the left and right of the PC, only battery packs showing both numbers will qualify for this warranty claim.

As according to the press release, you need to have the following two displayed clearly on the battery pack:

1. Applicable battery pack model number: CF-VZSU53AW
2. Applicable manufacturing lot numbers: Beginning with B, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C93, C94, C96, C9C, C9J, C9K

It's also said that some other Panasonic models may be effected by this battery pack issue, depending if your back is original or not - with the issued release stating that "the CF-VZSU53AW battery pack has a shape identical to the battery packs for the Toughbook H1 and Toughbook U1, and it may also be in use with those models. Please check the battery pack of your Toughbook H1 or Toughbook U1 as well."

If you're wanting to send back your pack, Panasonic recommends that you "shut down the PC and remove the battery pack, and contact Panasonic Customer Support at (855) 772-8324 (option 1 for laptops) or H2BatteryProgram@us.panasonic.com for free replacement."