Picked this story up today and thought I’d make some sense of it before someone else decides to blow it out of proportion.

Acer has taken the courageous decision to join other manufacturers in ordering a battery recall after previously saying that its batteries were not at risk.

Although no Acer notebooks have had any battery-related problems, the decision to join forces with other PC manufacturers in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is clear evidence that pre-emptive safety measures are a major priority for Acer, no matter how small the risk is, and no matter how good Acer’s safety record is.

The battery recall is currently only valid for the US, and Acer has set up a dedicated website with clear instructions on which notebooks are affected and how to proceed with the recall.

For reference, the affected notebooks sold in the US are:

TravelMate Series Beginning with:242x, 320x, 321x, 330x, 422x, 467x, 561x, C20x.
Aspire Series Beginning with:556x, 560x, 567x, 930x, 941x, 980x.

It is important to note that as different markets often have different components and/or models, this is not a global recall.

Having said that, on the local sites, under Service and Support, there is a section dedicated to the “Voluntary Battery Replacement Program” giving more detailed information about the particular country-specific initiatives.