Lenovo recalls 544K laptop power cords over fire and burn hazards

Lenovo has recalled more than half a million laptop power cords as they could pose fire and burn hazards. About 500,000 cords in the U.S. and about 44,000 cords in Canada are being called back by the Chinese firm.

The company is asking customers to immediately unplug and stop using the recalled power cords — only using the laptops on battery power is recommended. Contacting Lenovo will result in a free replacement.

It’s important to emphasize that no incidents or injuries have been reported in the U.S. and in Canada so far. That said, Lenovo has received reports from outside the U.S. of at least 15 incidents involving overheating, sparking, melting, and burning. The good news is that no injuries were reported.

The specific item in question is Lenovo’s LS-15 AC power cord, manufactured from February 2011 to December 2011. These cords are black in color, have the “LS-15” molded mark on the AC adapter end, and have the manufacture date code in the format REV: 00 YYMM on an attached label.

It’s possible this may not be enough to distinguish whether this aligns with your particular power cord. The cords were distributed with IdeaPad brand B-, G-, S-, U-, V-, and Z-series laptop computers and Lenovo brand B-, G-, and V-series laptop computers. A full list is available on this page.

Lenovo said these laptops were sold at computer and electronics stores, authorized dealers, and online at lenovo.com from February 2011 through June 2012 for between $350 and $1,500. If you bought your Lenovo computer before or after that timeframe, you don’t need to worry.

Recalls like this happen from time to time. Thankfully this isn’t a major one, and it’s being done voluntarily, meaning the situation hasn’t gotten to the point that a government has had to force Lenovo to act.

For more information, check out Lenovo’s power cord FAQ. If you do experience an incident, with this product or another, you can report it to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on this page: File a Report.