Nokia has announced today the recall of BL-5C battery packs manufactured by Matsushita for the period December 2005 to November 2006 for risk of overheating or explosion due to short-circuiting (rare cases, but potentially realy harmful). The affected phone models are as follows:

Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

According to the press release, approximately 100 incidents of battery-related mishaps have so far been reported. This is due to the chemistry of Lithium-Ion based batteries, which can be volatile if not packaged or handled properly. Li-Ion cells found in laptops and other devices also pose the same risk. But you don’t need to worry if you handle your batteries properly (e.g., by not subjecting them to extreme temperatures, shocks, punctures, and the like), and if these are not found by the manufacturer to have come from a defective batch.

If you own any of the above-cited phones, you can check whether your battery is part of the recall by entering in its 26-digit serial number on the Nokia recall page.

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