Sony laptop battery recall widens

Other factors, however, could also be causing batteries to overheat or smoke, said Vallese at the Consumer Product Safety Commission. How consumers use a laptop _ such as leaving it running on a car seat in hot weather — as well as faulty power adapters could raise the risk of failure, she said.

The design and final product assembly by individual computer makers also vary and can change the risk, she said.

As a result, Vallese said this battery recall, the largest one in electronics, differs from others where a specific defect is typically the culprit.

"Here, a company (Sony) is saying that we haven't determined that there is a problem, but we're going to pull it anyway," Vallese said. "And that's why some companies are still trying to determine whether it's worth it for them to be associated with this recall."

Sony has not disclosed how much the additional recalls will cost the company but did estimate earlier that the battery recalls by Dell and Apple alone would cost it at least $170 million.

The battery woes have been one of many headaches for a company struggling to regain its reputation for high quality.

Sony has been trying to overhaul its electronics operations under Welsh-born Howard Stringer, the first foreigner to head the company, and has found success in flat-panel televisions and digital cameras.

But a delay in the launch of its much-anticipated PlayStation 3 video game console and weakness against rival Apple's iPod in portable music players has cast doubts on whether the maker of the legendary Walkman can regain its former glory.

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