In mid April, news began to circulate about certain Sony VAIO Flip units being prone to catching fire, thanks to a battery defect from Panasonic. We soon learned that the specific computer in question was the VAIO Fit 11A/Flip PC. While only three minor incidents had been reported at the time, the whole affair has caused a bit of a sour note as Sony continues to ramp down VAIO prior to officially closing down and selling the division to Japan Industrial Partners. Now, Sony has released a statement about the matter and calls upon owners to

  immediately discontinue use, shut down and unplug the PC 

The full statement and instructions on how to check if your VAIO is affected by this can be found after the jump.

From Sony:

 Dear Valued Sony VAIO Customers,

It has come to our attention that some of the internal, non-removable battery packs provided to us by a third-party supplier and included in 368 units of VAIO Fit 11A/Flip PC released in February 2014 have the potential to overheat resulting in partial burns to the housing of the PC.

If you have one or more of the VAIO Fit11A/Flip PC model listed below, please immediately discontinue use, shut down and unplug the PC. We are currently identifying affected PCs by serial numbers and developing a program to repair or replace the affected PCs at no charge, or to refund the purchase price for the affected PCs, in accordance with the program. We expect to post a program announcement with details within two weeks. In the meantime, as safety is our primary concern, we ask again that you please refrain from using the below-listed model until you further hear from us in the program announcement.

Should you have any questions please call 866-702-7669.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Model Number:

 

•  SVF11N13CXS 

If you’re unsure about your VAIO model number, here is a quick guide on how you can find out.

Discuss:

Is Sony doing enough to address the situation?

[Via Sony]