PC maker Gateway said Tuesday it will voluntarily exchange about 14,000 notebook batteries in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, citing the potential for overheating and fire hazards. <P> The Irvine, Calif.-based company said the affected units were sold through both professional and direct channels between May 2003 and August 2003, and were either the primary or spare battery packs for Gateway 400 VTX and 450 ROG notebooks. According to the CPSC, the notebooks sold for between $1,200 and $2,400 and the batteries, if sold separately, went for between $60 and $90. <P> Regulators said the problem is not an internal battery cell defect, and while Gateway received four reports of overheating, there were no reported injuries. The battery packs were manufactured in China, the CPSC said. The manufacturer of the battery was not named. <P> A larger recall of notebook batteries, begun last year, involved Sony battery packs that had internal manufacturing defects. That defect led to the recall of several million battery packs from manufacturers including Dell, Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo and Fujitsu. <P> "Gateway is working with its suppliers to cover the cost of replacement battery packs and certain other related costs," the company said in a statement. A spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
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