HP Chromebook 11: Google And Hewlett-Packard Halt Sales Of Laptop Amid Reports Of Overheating Charger

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ) have announced they are pulling the HP Chromebook 11 from shelves after some consumers reported the charger was overheating during use.

As a result, Google and Hewlett-Packard both said they would be suspending sales of the HP Chromebook 11 laptop at Best Buy Co. (NYSE:BBY), Google Play, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and all other retail outlets. There have been eight reports of chargers overheating, including a few in which the charger melted, according to anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg. No fires have been reported.

“Google and HP are pausing sales of the HP Chromebook 11 after receiving a small number of user reports that some chargers included with the device have been damaged due to overheating during use,” the statement from Google Chrome reads. “We are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to identify the appropriate corrective action, and will provide additional information and instructions as soon as we can.

“In the meantime, customers who have purchased an HP Chromebook 11 should not use the original charger provided with the product. In the interim they may continue using their HP Chromebook 11 with any other Underwriters Laboratories listed micro-USB charger, for example one provided with a tablet or smartphone. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

According to CNET, HP and Google introduced the HP Chromebook 11 in October and partnered with Best Buy and Amazon to sell it in the U.S. Best Buy has removed the HP Chromebook 11 from its online store and Amazon is no longer selling the item directly. However, the HP Chromebook 11 can still be bought on Amazon via third-party sellers.

As Bloomberg points out, this isn’t the first time that overheating has affected laptops. In 2006, Dell Inc. and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) were forced to recall laptops after batteries made by Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) overheated.