Garmin Recalls 1.25M 'Fire Risk' Satnavs 54
Barence writes "Garmin is recalling 1.25 million of its nüvi satnavs after batteries overheated. According to Garmin, the issue only affects devices containing batteries manufactured within a set date range by a third-party supplier and that have 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. 'Although there have been no injuries or significant property damage caused by this issue, Garmin is taking this action out of an abundance of caution.' Perhaps Garmin should also issue a software update that diverts drivers to their nearest fire station?"
Battery and/or construction? (Score:4, Informative)
According to the Dutch site tweakers.net ( http://tweakers.net/nieuws/69349/garmin-roept-nuvi-navigatiesystemen-terug.html [tweakers.net] ), the supplier of the battery will take on the cost of replacing the battery. So it seems there's at least an issue with that battery and who knows if other devices may also be affected.
It also mentions, however, that Garmin will be adding a spacer between the battery and the PCB.
So, speculation time... 1. the battery's casing may not have been up to spec and under some circumstances can lead to a conductive area that is -not- one of terminals being exposed and 2. the battery's proximity to - possibly direct contact with - the PCB actually made this into an issue simply because a soldered pin may end up touching the exposed area and shorting the battery or otherwise causing a too high draw bypassing the safety systems usually in place. Wouldn't be the first time.. but, again, speculation.
Is your Garmin affected? (Score:3, Informative)
Garmin has provided a site to check if yours is one of the affected units: https://my.garmin.com/rma/recallLanding.faces [garmin.com].
Re:So (Score:3, Informative)
What model did you have? Some 200 series units have the satellite lock time issue fixed with a GPS firmware update that you can do yourself with a tool available from their website.