Dell is recalling more than four million laptop batteries after reports of machines catching fire.
The recall is the largest in the history of the US electronics industry according to the US consumer product safety commission.
It affects Sony batteries in 2.7 million Dell laptops sold in the US, and a further 1.4 million sold in the rest of the world between April 2004 and July this year - 18 per cent of Dell's entire output of notebook computers.
Numbers of British laptops affected are as yet unknown.
Lithium-ion batteries in the laptops have a tendency to overheat. Dell said it was aware of six cases in which batteries began smouldering, causing damage to furniture or belongings.
In June a video of a laptop suddenly exploding at a conference in Osaka, Japan, surfaced on VNU news web site, The Inquirer, and quickly became a cult hit on the internet. A witness told the site that: 'the thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes.'
Shortly after, a similar incident in Pennsylvania led an American securities analyst to warn of a potential impact on Dell's shares - a reaction brushed aside by Dell as 'somewhat irresponsible'.
Other documented cases include a laptop fire at the offices of the packaging company Tetra Pak, and another in the cab of a lorry in Nevada which ignited the fuel tank and caused the vehicle to blow up.
American regulators have recorded 339 incidents of lithium batteries overheating and emitting smoke since 2003 - although not all have been in laptop computers. Several incidents have taken place on aircraft, and been recorded by the Federal Aviation Authority.
Michael Dell, founder of the PC company, told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday that Dell appreciated the consumer feedback afforded by blogs which provided a 'deeper, faster, richer experience with users.'
'We are fully investigating that incident and a few other reported incidents to understand exactly what is going on and taking appropriate steps to provide the best outcome for our customers,' he added.
Dell advises consumers to stop using the batteries immediately and to get in touch to obtain replacements. The company told US newswires that the recall would have no 'material impact' on its finances, although one report suggested it could cost more than $300m (£157m) before taking into account reputational damage.
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