Two Fires Push NEC To Recall Desktop PCs

Fire danger and recalls aren't just for laptops anymore.

NEC has issued a desktop PC recall in Japan after two of its computers caught fire.

The Japanese manufacturer is recalling 14,600 Valuestar desktops, which were only sold in Japan, according to Kazuko Andersen, a company spokeswoman. She says the computers have a defective part in the power supply unit.

Andersen says two desktops have caught fire because of the defect, though she said there was no damage caused to the homes where they were being used. Valuestar G and Valuestar H, which are both being recalled, are consumer units.

"We're telling users to not continue using it until they replace that defective part," she says, adding that the company is concerned there could be further overheating or fire dangers.

In the past several months, notebook vendors, including Apple, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony, and Toshiba, all have issued battery recalls. A percentage of the batteries were overheating and even caused fires in a few cases.

Andersen says NEC hadn't issued any recalls this year for laptops based on battery issues.