KDDI recalls 2 mn phones after battery overheat

TOKYO, JAPAN: KDDI, Japan's second-largest mobile carrier, said on Friday that it would replace lithium ion battery packs on two million mobile phones free of charge after a series of overheating incidents, one of which resulted in a slight injury.

The three models affected by the recall are made by NEC Casio Mobile Communications and the battery packs are made by Sony.

The first overheating problem was reported in January last year, but no decision was made to replace the battery packs at that time, because it occurred after the battery had been damaged, KDDI said in a statement on its website.

The company decided on the recall after seven further incidents, in some of which damaged batteries emitted smoke while being recharged. Sony will provide improved battery packs as replacements, KDDI said.

Shares in KDDI fell 3.4 per cent and Sony lost 0.5 per cent on Friday, compared with a flat Nikkei average.

Sony has been forced to recall lithium ion batteries in the past after overheating. In 2006, it recalled 9.6 million PC batteries.

Shares in Casio, which owns 20 per cent of NEC Casio Mobile Communications, fell 2.4 per cent, while NEC lost 0.6 per cent.