CPSC, Sony Electronics Inc. Announce Recall of Certain VAIO Notebook Computers

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #03197) was formally reported on September 25, 2003. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Sony Corp., of Tokyo, Japan is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 5,600 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: Users could receive a mild electric shock, when the recalled computers are connected to a phone line and the phone rings. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers with VAIO notebooks included in the recall should disconnect their modem from the phone line immediately, and contact Sony to arrange for a free repair. Sony also will extend the current li… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 23 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.