Sony Corp said it will pay to replace more lithium-ion batteries worldwide after IBM and Lenovo Group Ltd became the latest manufacturers to recall them because of a fire hazard.

Lenovo, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and IBM said in a statement on Thursday they will recall Sony batteries used in 526,000 ThinkPad notebook computers, including 168,500 in the US Apple Computer Inc and Dell Inc took similar steps last month.

The latest recalls bring the number of Sony batteries recalled to more than 6 million. Lenovo, which bought IBM's personal computer unit in 2005, said it acted less than two weeks after a ThinkPad caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport. The recall will affect Sony's reputation more than its customer's, said analyst Roger Kay of Massachusetts-based Endpoint Technologies.

"Lenovo is being seen more as a victim than as a perpetrator with this recall," said Kay. Sony could end up recalling as many as 10 million batteries, he said. "When the news first came out about Dell's recall, the public had trouble distinguishing whether it was a Dell or Sony problem."

John Dolak, a Sony Corp spokesman, declined to say how many units were involved globally or to name other manufacturers involved in the replacement programme announced on Thursday. The company said it is discussing a plan with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and will announce details soon.

"It is imperative that consumers respond quickly to this recall announcement by removing the battery from their ThinkPad computer and continuing to use their computer off of AC power," said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the commission based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Problems with Sony batteries led Dell, the world's largest personal-computer maker, to initiate the biggest recall in consumer-electronics history. Apple discovered nine incidents of batteries overheating, with two causing minor burns to Mac users.

While Sony didn't say what the company will spend on the latest recall, the company on August 24 said battery replacements for Dell and Apple notebooks will cost Sony 20 billion yen to 30 billion yen (US$170 million to US$257 million).

The batteries involved in the Lenovo and IBM recalls affect 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the T Series, R Series and X Series ThinkPad notebooks made from February 2005 to September 2006, according to a statement from Lenovo, the world's third-largest personal computer maker.

The Sony-made batteries were sold through Lenovo and IBM's websites, through Lenovo and IBM's authorized dealers and through phone and direct sales. They were also sold as accessories costing US$150 to US$180, according to the statement.

(China Daily October 2, 2006)