Joining the ranks of laptop vendors struggling with battery problems and massive recalls, Acer America announced it is recalling 27,000 batteries.

The rechargeable lithium ion batteries being recalled contain battery cells manufactured by Sony Energy Devices. The batteries can overheat and create a potential fire hazard. There have been no reported incidents with the batteries causing any fires in Acer products. The company said in an advisory that it is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and with Sony to "act in the interest of customer safety."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission noted that there have been 16 reports of notebook batteries overheating due to the Sony cells.

Acer notebook PCs with the problematic Sony cell-based batteries were sold between May 2004 and November 2006, according to the company's advisory.

Acer is recommending that customers to stop using these recalled batteries immediately and contact the company to receive a free replacement battery. Customers can find detailed information and instructions at Acer's Web site. They also may contact Acer by calling 800-503-2330.

The company is also recommending that in the meantime, customers can continue to use their notebooks by turning off the system, removing the battery, and powering the system via the AC adapter and power cord, until the replacement battery is received.

Last month, rival laptop maker Lenovo voluntarily recalled about 205,000 ThinkPad batteries that could overheat and endanger users.