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Lenovo recalls fire-prone ThinkPad Carbon X1 laptops after a literal screw-up

It's getting hot in here.. so, er, recall your laptop

Lenovo recalls fire-prone ThinkPad Carbon X1 laptops after a literal screw-up
Lenovo recalls fire-prone ThinkPad Carbon X1 laptops after a literal screw-up
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HAVING A SCREW LOOSE isn't great, but it's even worse if it can set you on fire, as is the case with some Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 laptops.

Select models of the fifth-generation ThinkPad Carbon X1 laptop, manufactured between December 2016 and October 2017, were found to have a screw that wasn't properly tightened during the assembly process.

Said loose screw could potentially damage the battery pack's lithium-ion polymer layer and cause a short. This, in turn, causes the battery to discharge its power more rapidly than it should do. making it overheat and potentially trigger a fire.

That's not the type of 'lit' Lenovo was going for with its Carbon X1 lineup.

"Lenovo received three customer reports worldwide of an overheat condition related to an unfastened screw which resulted in damage to the customer's laptops. Lenovo has received no reports of damage to persons or property, other than to the laptop PCs," said the firm.

As such, US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of the ThinkPad Carbon X1 machines with the serial numbers 20HQ, 20HR, 20K3, and 20K4, which can be found on the bottom of the laptop.

The recall only currently covers the US and Canada, so people further afield with the ThinkPads should be in the clear as the manufacturing flaw seems to have only affected around 78,000.

That being said, if you have a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 and are experiencing overheating problems then let us know, as also keep your laptop away from soft furnishings.

Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 with its devastating battery flaw, the solution to Lenovo's screw-up situation is a rather simple repair.

"Lenovo is inspecting, and repairing if necessary, all affected systems free-of-charge," said Lenovo.

While Lenovo tends to make solid if arguably unremarkable laptops, it does seem to run into a few issues with them, most notably with spyware ridden bloatware it was found to have plonked on its machines.

Perhaps 2018 will be a turn around year for the Chinese firm, once the recall is complete. µ

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