Lenovo has issued a worldwide voluntary product recall and replacement program for faulty AC power cords that can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. The recall comes after Lenovo received reports of 15 incidents involving overheating, sparking, melting and burning. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The recall involves Lenovo's LS-15 AC power cord manufactured from February 2011 to December 2011. They were distributed with IdeaPad brand B-, G-, S-, U-, V- and Z-series notebooks and Lenovo brand B-, G- and V-series notebooks.
Cords that are part of the recall are black in color and have the "LS-15" marking on the AC adapter end. Note that Lenovo is only recalling the AC power cord and not the power adapter; those are fine.
In total, Lenovo estimates that 544,000 cords need replacing.
If you have an AC power cord that's part of the recall, Lenovo urges you to stop using it immediately and contact the company for a free replacement. This can be done online through Lenovo's recall website where you'll be guided through a validation process to determine if your AC cable needs to be replaced.
Lenovo notes that most replacement cords should arrive within seven to 10 days.
Earlier this year, HP issued a voluntary recall over what appears to be the exact same AC power cords. The company recalled nearly 6 million units with the same "LS-15" markings due to the same fire hazard risk.