CPSC, Apple Announce Recall of PowerBook Computer Batteries
Home product recall 04-201. Announced by CPSC on Aug 19, 2004.
- CPSC: stop using it
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Aug 19, 2004. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- About 28,000 units, as CPSC gives them
- None injuries, CPSC’s notice says
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact Apple to arrange for a replacement battery, free of charge.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: Contact Apple at (800) 275-2273 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday or log on to Apple’s website at www.apple.com/support/powerbook/batteryexchange
Which ones are recalled?
The recalled batteries are used with the 15-inch PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) laptop computer. The batteries, which contain cells manufactured during the last week of December 2003 only, have the model number A1045 and serial numbers that begin with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. The model and serial numbers can be found on a label on the bottom of the battery. The battery is approximately 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and ¾ inches tall. No other PowerBook or iBook batteries are involved in this recall.
About 28,000 units, as CPSC gives them.
Rechargeable batteries used in 15-inch Apple PowerBook G4 computers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 2 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, Calif.
- Made by LG Chem Ltd., South Korea.
- National and regional resellers, catalogers, and Apple’s online and retail stores sold the computers with the batteries, from January 2004 through August 2004, for between $2000 and $2600. The batteries also were sold separately for about $130.
- Made in Taiwan, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
Apple has received four reports of batteries overheating, though no injuries have been reported.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.