Toshiba recalled 15 million laptop adapters due to fire and burn hazards

Dynabook Americas, previously known as Toshiba, has issued a recall for 15.5 million Toshiba laptop AC adapters due to potential burn and fire risks.

The company reported 679 incidents of the recalled AC adapters overheating, catching fire, melting, and causing burns, including 43 instances of minor burn injuries.

Dynabook Americas advised consumers to discontinue the use of these adapters immediately and to contact them for a complimentary replacement.

The recall pertains to AC adapters sold with Toshiba personal laptop computers and those sold separately, with date codes ranging from April 2008 to December 2012. The adapters were manufactured in China.

More than 60 models are included in the recall, with the company providing a webpage listing the affected model numbers and serial numbers for the adapters.

Additionally, approximately 1.3 million of the impacted adapters were sold in Canada.

While Toshiba was once a prominent player in the laptop market, it now constitutes around 1% of the market share, according to market research firm Gartner. Lenovo currently leads the category with 25%, followed by HP (22%), Dell (17%), and Apple (9%).

“Because the adapters are for very old models, it’s only a very small percentage of the population that is still using them,” said Mikako Kitagawa, a director analyst at Gartner.