Sony Vaio laptop in mass 'recall'
Source: BBC

Authorities in the US have instructed Sony to conduct a recall of its Vaio laptops, after problems with overheating were reported.

Sony said the problem affects more than half a million of its F and C series laptops sold since the start of 2010.

The American Consumer Product Safety Commission said that "the computers can overheat, posing a burn hazard."

But Sony said that this is "not a recall" and that the problem can be rectified with a software patch.

Although there are no reports of any users suffering burns, Sony say it has received a number of reports of its laptop overheating, distorting keyboards and casings.

Sony says 260,000 laptops in the US, 103,000 in Europe, 120,000 in South East Asia and 52,000 in Japan need to be fixed.

"The word recall has been used by the CPSC in the States, but we are not calling it that," Nick Sharples, Sony's European communications director told BBC News.

"It is possible to update the firmware online, which will rectify the problem," he added.