Is your laptop currently plugged in? If so, it might surprise you to learn that, depending on what type of power cord you have, you could have the potential of a house fire on your hands. Hewlett-Packard has recently issued a recall of over six million power cords following over two dozen reports of melting and overheating. The type of cord in question has prompted at least 13 reports of property damage and two reports of minor burns.
Specifically, the recall is for LS-15 power cords that were sold in the period running from September 2010 to June 2012. Consumers who have such cords can have them replaced by HP at no cost. This is the second defective product issue regarding overheating that HP has suffered in recent years; reports arose of its Google-partnered Chromebook 11 overheating as well.
While it’s encouraging to hear that HP has noticed the issue with their power cords, the recall affects devices that have been on the market for as long as four years, meaning that quite a few people, including potential residents of Massachusetts, could have already suffered harm as a result of exposure to the product. Many could be using a potentially dangerous product right now and not even know it.
What you might not know about defective products is that, under certain circumstances, you may be able to pursue compensation for damages through a product liability case in relation to such products. Product liability cases generally involve an allegedly defective or dangerous product that has purportedly caused damage or injury. In severe cases, a defective product can even cause wrongful death. If a person has suffered harm due to the use of a defective product and is wondering if they have a product liability case, they may want to enlist the help of an experienced attorney.
Source: Tech Times, “HP yanks 6 million laptop power cords, citing potential fire hazard,” Joseph Mayton, Aug. 27, 2014
