Garmin Recalls Nuvi GPS

Garmin has recalled 1.25 million Nuvi personal navigation devices because of overheating problems.

The company announced the recall Wednesday, saying the number included 796,000 units sold in the United States. The recall stems from overheating related to the Nuvi's battery.

Garmin said overheating is possible when the battery manufactured by a third-party supplier is used with 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 released Wednesday.

The company is aware of less than 10 reports of overheating, and none of the incidents caused significant property damage, according to Garmin. There were no injuries, and the company said it was issuing the recall out of "an abundance of caution."

The Nuvi models affected include the 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxT, where the "xx" is a two-digit number. The units were sold worldwide.

Garmin has set up a site where customers can go to input their Nuvi's serial number to see if it is a recalled unit. If so, the customer will receive instructions on how the device can be returned at no charge.

Garmin said it would fix the faulty devices by replacing the battery and inserting a spacer on top of the new battery next to the printed circuit board. The device will be returned to the customer at no charge.

"Garmin is making every effort to cooperate with customers, dealers, and regulatory agencies worldwide, and the company apologizes for the inconvenience that this issue may cause," the company said.

The Nuvi is a satellite-guided personal navigation device often used in cars for turn-by-turn instructions. Garmin has been extending the Nuvi's global positioning system into smartphones.

In the spring, Garmin released through wireless carrier T-Mobile a smartphone called the Garminfone that uses the company's navigation technology on top of Google's Android operating system. Asus is Garmin's manufacturing partner.