IBM, Lenovo recall 526,000 Sony batteries

WASHINGTON -- Consumers are being asked to return 526,000 laptop batteries made by Sony Corp. because they could catch fire, the latest in a record-setting recall involving nearly 7 million computers.

IBM Corp. and Lenovo Group, the world's third largest computer maker, were seeking the recall of rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries purchased with ThinkPad computers. A laptop caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport this month.

It is the fourth recall in recent weeks involving Sony laptop batteries. In August, Dell asked customers to return 4.1 million batteries and Apple recalled 1.8 million, warning they could catch fire. Last week, Toshiba said it was recalling 340,000 batteries due to a problem that caused laptops to run out of power.

It is largest electronic-related recall involving the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency said there have been 47 reports of batteries catching fire.