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Garmin Recalls 1.25M 'Fire Risk' Satnavs
Barence writes "Garmin is recalling 1.25 million of its nüvi satnavs after batteries overheated. According to Garmin, the issue only affects devices containing batteries manufactured within a set date range by a third-party supplier and that have a specific printed circuit board design. 'It appears that the interaction of these factors can, in rare circumstances, increase the possibility of overheating, which may lead to a fire hazard,' the company said in a statement. 'Although there have been no injuries or significant property damage caused by this issue, Garmin is taking this action out of an abundance of caution.' Perhaps Garmin should also issue a software update that diverts drivers to their nearest fire station?"
(in guide voice) ...Take a left turn in 500ft. ...Take a right turn in 2.5 miles. ...Pull- Ow Ow Ow Ow Ow. I am on fire, please shut me off.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Perhaps Garmin should also issue a software update that diverts drivers to their nearest fire station?
Lamest joke ever.
Where there any instances of anybody getting hurt by these at risk batteries, or is this a proactive recall. The article didn't say.
GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social exper
overheating ??? batteries??? fat file system? lawsuits? patent pending?
who knows...
So, there I was, driving my VW wagon merrily along, when my GPS suddenly exploded. I found myself on an island with underground bunkers and polar bears. How do I get back home when I can't even find a store to buy a new GPS from?
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
Kudos to Garmin for proactively recalling their own unit before anybody dies or they have a growing public relations nightmare on their hands. It's much better stewardship of their brand and care for their customers than we ever see from car companies or medical device manufacturers.
Of course, it's also disheartening that the appropriate minimum response to discovering a serious flaw in one's product now feels extraordinary and laudable when viewed in the context of other major American manufacturer's current behavior.
I used to shoot a lot of panasonic cameras; and about a year or two ago, pany changed their 3rd party battery story so that new models use chipped batteries (pulling a sony, so to speak) and this locks out most 3rd party batteries.
their reason: safety. they claim that 3rd party batteries are less safe than the oem's.
then we see essentially ALL companies who make battery power (li-ion mostly) devices have this or that battery recall. its not if, but when. I'm not sure a single vendor has escaped.
they claim their own choice of batteries is safer but each recall BY the vendor whittles this trust away bit by bit.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
1960s: Carry a fire extinguisher in your car, in case the electrical goes berserk.
2010s: Carry a fire extinguisher in your car, in case the electrical goes berserk.
Do they call PCs percoms?
According to the Dutch site tweakers.net ( http://tweakers.net/nieuws/69349/garmin-roept-nuvi-navigatiesystemen-terug.html ), the supplier of the battery will take on the cost of replacing the battery. So it seems there's at least an issue with that battery and who knows if other devices may also be affected.
It also mentions, however, that Garmin will be adding a spacer between the battery and the PCB.
So, speculation time... 1. the battery's casing may not have been up to spec and under some circumstances can lead to a conductive area that is -not- one of terminals being exposed and 2. the battery's proximity to - possibly direct contact with - the PCB actually made this into an issue simply because a soldered pin may end up touching the exposed area and shorting the battery or otherwise causing a too high draw bypassing the safety systems usually in place. Wouldn't be the first time.. but, again, speculation.
Garmin has provided a site to check if yours is one of the affected units: https://my.garmin.com/rma/recallLanding.faces.
They say:
issue only affects devices .... manufactured within a set date range... third-party supplier... specific printed circuit board design... interaction of these factors...in rare circumstances,.. increase the possibility of overheating....may lead to a fire hazard... no injuries or significant property damage caused....
We remember:
GARMIN KIT IS DANGEROUS! OVER A MILLION RECALLS! MAY CATCH FIRE!
There was a smart gas meter company that provided a firmware update for a shorting smart meter that directed users to the closest mortician. That is the kind of forward thinking that gets my business.
So, my Garmin battery already blew up, and I already replaced it. The battery expanded, causing the entire case of the Nuvi to show "stress marks" on it. I pulled the battery out, and did the very childish thing, and cut a hole in it with a knife, and was sprayed with a noxious fume.
YOU'RE WINNER !
Another lame blog
/., what's up? This story is 2 days old. Sure its better than the story from a book 8 years ago, but really?
Garmin Geko circa 2003, ran 20 hours on two non-exploding AAA cells. When they go flat, swap in another pair, and charge the flat ones up when you get home.
Garmin Nuvi 205W circa 2010, runs 4-5 hours on internal proprietary lithium cell, non-removable. When it goes flat, you are hosed and can't use the unit until you can find a place to charge it. And that's assuming it didn't explode.
Lithium batteries are just a fucking scam. I buy AA or AAA powered devices (digicams, portable audio, etc) when I can possibly help it, and use Sanyo Eneloop NiMH cells which have no self-discharge problems (the usual excuse for lithium). The slight size/weight penalty is more than worth it to avoid the damn proprietary battery and charger and explosion hassle, and there is also a huge cost savings.
I can't believe Garmin is going to take out the emergency ignition source - this could be really handy when you get lost in the woods and need a quick campfire. Just because a few whiners had it activate somewhat early!
Now I have to continue to carry the flint.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The Nuvi 205W is not on the explosion list either.
I love Lithium Ion batteries. My last digital camera died in a year because the fucking door hinge broke. I see it as a major advantage of the Nintendo DS. Yeah, you can't pop in new batteries, but I can charge from nearly any power source (I have a USB cord). Not to mention NiMH cells are fairly expensive, and alkalines are more expensive in the long run.
If each device gave you a set of NiMH cells and had an internal charger, then I'd like NiMHs more, and I use NiMH cells a lot (my guitars all have a 9V one in 'em) already.
I always charge my mobile batteries in breaks and never in one go, this way the chance of overheating is avoided.
The punk that smashed my side window and stole mine.
Wow, "mom" & "hand crank" in the same sentence. Gotta be slashdot to find a posting like that (just need "basement" to make a trifecta).
"It appears that the interaction of these factors..."
The interactions of these factors? What the hell. Didn't someone actually engineer this thing? It's not like this is some external problem over which Garmen had no control.
If each device gave you a set of NiMH cells and had an internal charger, then I'd like NiMHs more, and I use NiMH cells a lot (my guitars all have a 9V one in 'em) already.
If you are careful you can often find devices which take them. I prefer to spec everything with AA batteries because AA NiMH has the best price:performance (in my opinion, anyway) of any readily available battery. And of course there is the obvious advantage of being able to fall back to planet-killing batteries. I managed to get a 12V quick charger at Ross, which plugs into my harbor freight solar kit very nicely, thank you. I have a deep cycle in a battery box with a small replacement charge controller in it, and I put banana plug/screw down terminals on the outside for connecting stuff.
Dealextreme will sell you a halfway decent 2000mAH Lithium battery in a solar charger for about $13, so for all this USB stuff that's not a bad way to go. I found a 1980s solar panel with a 2xAA battery charger, but it's 200mA peak, that's a bit tedious. I once paid $100 for a 2xAAA NiMH solar charger with better output and USB, but I gave that one away as a regift. It charges really fast, but what takes AAA?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I won't buy a camera that takes AA cells, not because I don't like AA cells, but because I was burned by a camera that broke in a year because the stupid hinge door wore out.