PSA: HP Laptop Battery Recall Might Affect You

HP has expanded its ongoing battery recall program, and those who own notebooks from HP or Compaq should check--or recheck--their batteries immediately to see if they are affected. Those that are can overheat, potentially causing a fire or burning users.

The recall for certain notebooks' batteries began last year, and HP has now expanded its scope. This covers notebooks sold worldwide between March 2013 and October 2016, as well as batteries sold on their own or offered as replacements. This includes certain HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP Envy, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion notebook computers.

Not all laptops sold in that span from those lines are necessarily affected. To determine this, head over to HP's recall website for instructions. There's a manual process for doing so, as well as an automated program that can check for you. It's important to do this again even if you checked prior to the recall's expansion.

If you do indeed have such a battery, HP says you should stop using it right away. The laptop itself can still be used--sans battery--by plugging it in with a power cable.