Nikon expands battery recall
By
Mike Tomkins
(Tuesday, December 6, 2005 - 12:04 EST)
Updates on the websites of Nikon Corp. around the world have today expanded last month's recall of some of the batteries used in the company's SLR digital cameras.
The recall affects EN-EL3 batteries manufactured with one of over a hundred different lot numbers, which can be found as a four-digit alphanumeric code printed on the side of the battery. It should be noted that only EN-EL3 batteries are affected; the recall does not include any EN-EL3a or EN-EL3e batteries.
Batch numbers in the original recall were as follows:
| First 3 digits: | Recall Lot Numbers | | 44A- | 44AC | | 46A- | 46AC, 46AD, 46AE, 46AF, 46AG, 46AH, 46AI, 46AJ, 46AK, 46AL, 46AM, 46AN, 46AO, 46AP, 46AQ, 46AT, 46AU, 46AV, 46AW, 46AX, 46AY | | 47A- | 47AA, 47AB, 47AC, 47AD, 47AE, 47AF, 47AG, 47AH, 47AI, 47AJ, 47AK, 47AL, 47AM, 47AN, 47AO, 47AP, 47AQ, 47AR, 47AS, 47AU, 47AV, 47AW, 47AX, 47AY
(Nikon Europe is also listing the 47AT code as recalled, although this is not listed on the Nikon US or Japan websites - if you have this code, we would suggest contacting Nikon for clarification). | | 48A- | 48AA, 48AB, 48AC, 48AD, 48AE, 48AF, 48AG, 48AH, 48AI, 48AJ, 48AK, 48AL | | 49A- | 49AA, 49AB, 49AC, 49AD, 49AE, 49AF, 49AG, 49AH, 49AI, 49AJ, 49AK, 49AL, 49AM, 49AN, 49AP, 49AQ, 49AR, 49AS, 49AT, 49AU | | 4AA- | 4AAA, 4AAB, 4AAC, 4AAD, 4AAE, 4AAF, 4AAG, 4AAH, 4AAI, 4AAJ, 4AAK, 4AAL, 4AAM | | 4BA- | 4BAA, 4BAB, 4BAC, 4BAD, 4BAE, 4BAF, 4BAG, 4BAH, 4BAI, 4BAJ, 4BAK, 4BAL, 4BAN | | 4CA- | 4CAA, 4CAB, 4CAC, 4CAD, 4CAE, 4CAF, 4CAH, 4CAI, 4CAJ |
The updated recall adds the following batch numbers which were distributed in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Argentina to the list:
| First 3 digits: | Recall Lot Numbers | | 51A- | 51AA, 51AB, 51AC, 51AD, 51AE, 51AF, 51AG, 51AH | | 53A- | 53AA, 53AB | | 54A- | 54AE, 54AF, 54AH |
Nikon says that batteries with any of the lot numbers above may overheat and possibly melt during recharging, due to a problem in the manufacturing process between May and September 2004 (although we'd emphasise that batteries purchased after this period should still be checked for their lot number, since they may have sat on store shelves for some time before being purchased).
The company notes that if your battery bears one of the affected lot numbers, you should stop using it immediately, and remove it from the camera. The replacement process varies by region, and instructions can be found on the Nikon USA, Nikon Europe, or Nikon Japan websites, or from your local Nikon agent.
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