Dell hit with class action suit over Sony batteries

Thought the exploding laptop battery fiasco was finally over? You wish. While the fires started by Sony batteries may have finally died down, it looks like the lawsuits are just starting to heat up. Thad Griffin, a resident of Ontario, Canada, has filed a class-action suit on behalf of Dell Inspiron laptop users, claiming design defects in certain models of Inspiron make the computers susceptible to overheating, which can result in early motherboard failure. The case calls for Dell to either repair or replace the affected laptops--many of which are now out of warranty. The affected models of Inspiron are as follows: 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160. While Dell recalled a whopping 4.1 million batteries (manufactured by Sony) back in August, this suit seems to suggest design flaws may exist elsewhere in the machines that make them vulnerable to overheating. If you've deployed any of those Inspirons in your enterprise (and I'm sure many of you have), this case might be one to watch closely.

For more on the lawsuit:
- see this CNET article