WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety regulators on Friday said they had begun a voluntary recall of 140,000 Kyocera Wireless Corp. mobile phone batteries because they can burn users.
Kyocera Wireless has received reports of batteries in the Model 7135 Smartphones short-circuiting, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. It said the batteries can "erupt with force or emit excessive heat" and said one consumer received minor burn injuries.
Hong Kong's Coslight Technology International Group manufactured the batteries for Kyocera Wireless, the safety agency said.
The phones with the "-05" battery were sold online and at Verizon Wireless , U.S. Cellular Corp. and Alltel stores, from September through December 2003 for about $500. The batteries were also sold separately for about $21.
Kyocera Wireless will contact consumers by Feb. 6 for a free replacement battery, the safety regulators said. Customers who do not hear from the company can contact Kyocera at (800) 349-4478 or through its Web site at http://www.kyocera-wireless.com.
San Diego, California-based Kyocera Wireless is the U.S. unit of Japan's Kyocera Corp.
1/23/04
CPSC, Kyocera Wireless Corp. Announce Recall of Batteries in Smartphone Cell Phones
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. (To access color photos of the following recalled products, see CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)
Name of product: Batteries in Kyocera Cell Phones (Model 7135 Smartphones)
Units: About 140,000
Manufacturer/Importer: Coslight International Group, of Hong Kong, manufactured the batteries for Kyocera Wireless Corp., of San Diego, Calif.
Hazard: The recalled batteries can short-circuit and erupt with force or emit excessive heat, posing a burn hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Kyocera Wireless Corp. has received four reports of battery failures, including one minor burn injury.
Description: The recalled batteries are included in Kyocera model 7135 Smartphone cell phones. The black and silver flip-up phones say "Kyocera" at the top of the screen. The recalled batteries have the red and white Kyocera name printed on the front and a product code ending with -05 printed on the underside.
Sold at: Verizon Wireless, US Cellular and ALLTEL Corporation stores, in addition to Web site and telemarketing retailers nationwide sold the cell phones with the -05 battery from September 2003 through December 2003 for about $500. The batteries also were sold separately during this time for about $21.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers with the recalled units should immediately stop using the battery in the cell phone. Kyocera Wireless will contact consumers to arrange for delivery of a free replacement battery. If consumers are not contacted by Kyocera by Feb. 6, they are asked to contact the firm to receive the free replacement battery. The batteries should be stored in an environment with non-flammable materials.
Consumer Contact: Call Kyocera Wireless Corp. at (800) 349-4478 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site at www.kyocera-wireless.com.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
Wonder how Dan's Cell Phones is going to handle replacing any batteries that he sold with the -05. I've got a couple myself from him. Guess I'll have to email him.
Originally posted by eener Wonder how Dan's Cell Phones is going to handle replacing any batteries that he sold with the -05. I've got a couple myself from him. Guess I'll have to email him.
i emailed him tuesday before this story hit and no response yet
i have been subscribed to the cpsc email list for recalls for years and have seen nothing on the 7135 to date. they must do the press release before the email notification.
Originally posted by tabutler i have been subscribed to the cpsc email list for recalls for years and have seen nothing on the 7135 to date.
I just recieved the following email from the CPSC:
For Immediate Release Kyocera Wireless Corp.: (800) 349-4478
January 23, 2004 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800)
638-2772
Release #04-068 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Kyocera Media Contact: ( 858 ) 882-3543
CPSC, Kyocera Wireless Corp. Announce Recall of Batteries in Smartphone
Cell Phones
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation
with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of
the
following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled
products
immediately unless otherwise instructed. (To access color photos of the
following recalled products, see CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)
Name of product: Batteries in Kyocera Cell Phones (Model 7135
Smartphones)
Units: About 140,000
Manufacturer/Importer: Coslight International Group, of Hong Kong,
manufactured the batteries for Kyocera Wireless Corp., of San Diego,
Calif.
Hazard: The recalled batteries can short-circuit and erupt with force or
emit excessive heat, posing a burn hazard to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Kyocera Wireless Corp. has received four reports of
battery failures, including one minor burn injury.
Description: The recalled batteries are included in Kyocera model 7135
Smartphone cell phones. The black and silver flip-up phones say
"Kyocera" at the top of the screen. The recalled batteries have the red
and white Kyocera name printed on the front and a product code ending
with -05 printed on the underside.
Sold at: Verizon Wireless, US Cellular and ALLTEL Corporation stores, in
addition to Web site and telemarketing retailers nationwide, sold the
cell phones with the -05 battery from September 2003 through December
2003 for about $500. The batteries also were sold separately during this
time for about $21.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers with the recalled units should immediately stop using
the battery in the cell phone. Kyocera Wireless will contact consumers
to arrange for delivery of a free replacement battery. If consumers are
not contacted by Kyocera by Feb. 6, they are asked to contact the firm
to receive the free replacement battery. The batteries should be stored
in an environment with non-flammable materials.
Consumer Contact: Call Kyocera Wireless Corp. at (800) 349-4478 between
6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit their Web site at www.kyocera-wireless.com.
I work at a television station and was amazed at THIS news. I use my Kyocera 7135 for everything, and would NOT trade it in for nothing.
I have a battery that is marked -03 at the end. Does this mean that THIS one is alright and JUST the -05s are bad? What I've read so far tells me that just the -05s are called back....or will it include all the batteries for the 7135?
In reading the CPSC notice, they state that if users have not been contacted by 2/6/04 then they should contact Kyocera to obtain a free replacement battery. That's two weeks from today, so hopefully we're only two weeks away from having the quarantine lifted by Kyocera. I just changed jobs and the company said I could get any phone I want, so what happens???!!!
Originally posted by tcpip95 In reading the CPSC notice, they state that if users have not been contacted by 2/6/04 then they should contact Kyocera to obtain a free replacement battery. That's two weeks from today, so hopefully we're only two weeks away from having the quarantine lifted by Kyocera. I just changed jobs and the company said I could get any phone I want, so what happens???!!!
If you're wed to the 7135 then I assume that VZW and Kyocera will be on the same page soon. If not, I swapped out for the Samsung i600.
Yeah, I really am a Palm OS guy.... I've been carrying a Palm pilot since 1996 and can't live without it. I looked at the i600, but just can't bring myself to go over to the Dark Side :o)
Originally posted by rlpatrick If you're wed to the 7135 then I assume that VZW and Kyocera will be on the same page soon. If not, I swapped out for the Samsung i600.
Depends on your needs/level of Palm usage.
rlpatrick , OK, we get it. You have an i600. Give it a rest....
Every single one of your posts are regarding the i600 and how you got rid of the 7135 for it. Take that over to the Samsung section of these forums please. Everyone here knows there is other PDA/Phones....
Originally posted by wxman I work at a television station and was amazed at THIS news...
wxman, your question has already been answered, but since you work at a TV station, permit me to restate the information in TV news terms:
SHOCKING! Tonight... we'll have team smotherage... the electrifying truth behind the potentially explosive big battery broughaha! We'll tell you what's hot... and what's not! Could YOUR family be at risk? We'll talk to the neighbors. Could it happen here? The answer MAY surprise you! Live! Local! Late-breaking! Grab a life preserver; we're going overboard!!!
(Note absence of any actual fact. And yes, I also work at a TV station. <g>)
Originally posted by HoTSynC rlpatrick , OK, we get it. You have an i600. Give it a rest....
Every single one of your posts are regarding the i600 and how you got rid of the 7135 for it. Take that over to the Samsung section of these forums please. Everyone here knows there is other PDA/Phones....
Sheesh...try to answer a question and get blasted by the moderator. There isn't even an i600 forum on this website.
I actually don't have my i600 yet, it's on the way. Sorry if I offended you by discussing my 7135 problems.
You have done nothing to me, but you have added nothing but negativity to the 7135 forum. The people here are not interested in your i600, but rather how to make thier battery issue right, and best use the 7135. If they wanted a differnet model, they would research that in those forums or perform searches to locate posts like yours else where on the board.
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