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 Fire Caused by Dell Adapter
Posted Sat March 29, 2008 12:00 pm, by Steffani M. written to Dell Computer Corporation
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On March 27th, at approximately 10pm my daughter (14 years old) attempted to plug in the adapter cord to her Insprion 6000 laptop computer. Upon plugging in the adapter into the outlet, the adapter box located in the middle of the cord sparked, igniting a fire in her bedroom. This fire was quickly out of control and has since totally destroyed one bedroom within our home, all of my daughters contents/belongings and caused extensive smoke damage to the remainder of our home.
This adapter that caused the fire was relatively new as I had just purchased a replacement on the Dell online store several months ago.
I wanted to bring this matter to the attention of Dell for serious warning. This particular computer and adapter was not part of the recall that occurred last year by your company, however I believe that you need to look into a possible recall or replacement so that this does not happen to others. I have also heard from other friends and family members since our fire that they have also seen sparks from their laptop adapters.
While I would request a replacement computer as ours was melted and burned in the fire, I understand if this is not possible, however I still wanted to bring this important matter to your attention.
Prior to this incident, I have been a long time satisfied customer of Dell's as my last 4 computers have all been Dell. However, now I will seriously re-consider a Dell in the future as I now fear the faulty adapters to be a fire hazard.
If any further information is required from me such as photographs, fire report, proof of purchase of the adapter, etc. please let me know. Otherwise, I will look forward to a response from Dell Corporation.
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by robertl Posted Mon July 28, 2008 @ 7:50 PM
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I am a lawyer and was contacted by a gentleman who's house was nearly
destroyed by a fire. The fire investigators said that it came from
the computer, but his battery wasn't on the recall list. I came
accross your entry here, and would like to talk to you about it, since
it may be the same thing that happened to my client, and Dell's
position has been that only the bad sony batteries were causing fires.
My client's computer, battery, and power cord were all incinerated.
If i coould look at your cord, it might help alot. Please let me know
if you would be willing to talk to me about this. My name is Robert
Luke, and my telephone number is 713-335-4900.
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by Gino Posted Sun March 30, 2008 @ 1:43 AM
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I'm impressed with how calmly you describe this tragic incident. You
might also consider filing a report (with the fire inspection report
that cites the adaptor as the cause of the fire, photos, etc.) to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission as well. Maybe it's something worth
looking into, if others have had similar experiences, they may help
make a recall materialize.
http://www.cpsc.gov/index.html
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by Knuckles Posted Sat March 29, 2008 @ 9:49 PM
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I can think of only two possibilities. The first is that the wire
insulation is frayed from use, but that seems highly unlikely in a few
months time of any but the most rigorous circumstances. The second
would be that the ac connection where it plugs into the adapter is
loose. I just checked mine, and it is extremely tight (it has never
been disconnected). This connector seems like normal use would not
cause it to become so loose that it sparks. Again, a few months seems
like a very short period of time unless there was a manufacturing
defect that caused it to be loose when produced.
This claim seems a bit unusual. All the adapters I have seen have a
solid plastic case. I am not sure where the sparks could be
generated, but the most likely source seems to be the plug on the AC
side of the adapter. Unless the case has melted down, a cat ate the
insulation off the wires, or someone was hanged using the power cord,
I don't see another cause.
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Wow. This adapter caused a fire that ruined an entire bedroom, and
all you're asking for is a replacement adapter. I think that's very
gracious of you. I trust you had insurance that took care of
everything.
I hope they send you a different/better brand this time, though!
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by calm Posted Sat March 29, 2008 @ 12:12 PM
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I assume, since you don't say otherwise, that your daughter (and the
rest of your family) is all right. I'm very glad of that. It must
have been an awful experience for all of you.
Please stop back and let us know what Dell's response to this letter
is. If it had only been your daughter's adapter I would be willing to
consider this an isolated event, but if other people are reporting
seeing sparks that is a cause for concern.
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