The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. of Irvine, California has voluntarily issued a recall of the Panasonic battery packs used in Toshiba laptop computers. The lithium-ion battery packs can overheat, posing a burn and fire hazards to consumers. Approximately 91,000 (in addition to 10,000 were sold in Canada) at Office Depot, Staples, and other electronics stores nationwide, and online at Toshibadirect.com and other websites from June 2011 through January 2016 for between $500 and $1,000 for the laptop and between $70 and $130 for the battery pack.

This recall involves Panasonic lithium-ion battery packs installed in 39 models of Toshiba Portege, Satellite, and Tecra laptops. The battery packs were also sold separately and also installed by Toshiba as part of a repair. Battery packs included in this recall have part numbers that begin with G71C (G71C*******). Part numbers are printed on the battery pack. A complete list of battery pack part numbers included in this recall can be found on the firm’s website.

Consumers should immediately go to the firm’s website and click on the battery pack utility link in the first shadowed box on the page. Consumers can also perform a manual check using the laptop and battery pack’s model, part and serial numbers. If it is part of the recall, consumers should power off the laptop, remove the battery and follow the instructions to obtain a free replacement battery pack. Until a replacement battery pack is received, consumers should use the laptop by plugging into AC power only.

For more information, please visit www.us.toshiba.com and click on “Consumer Notices” under the Support heading at the bottom of the page.