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Panasonic Toughbooks are so tough they can smoke

It's a fire-bug, not a feature. So Panasonic's recalling machines from 2011 to 2013

Panasonic's the latest company to fall foul of dodgy batteries, finding that the rechargeables shipped with its CF-S10 laptop "may overheat, cause smoke, or may ignite" causing "a risk of a fire or a burn hazard to consumers" and the computer.

The CF-VZSU61U rechargeable battery pack is the culprit and appears to have come to the attention of Japanese authorities in late 2015, according to this report: "A serious product accident occurred involving a battery pack for a laptop computer manufactured by Panasonic Corporation, causing the product to ignite and to burn its surroundings."

Canada has since issued a recall for the battery back and Australia's joined in. Each nation is mentioning different time spans for its recall. Japan and Canada [PDF] say machines manufactured between July 2011 and April 2012 have the combustible batteries. Australia says machines bought between April 1st, 2012 and June 1st, 2013 have the problem.

Wherever you are, check out the links above, which provide contact details, so you can secure a replacement that Panasonic is handing out gratis. As it ought. ®

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