Hewlett-Packard has issued a recall of certain laptop computer batteries, which can overheat, posing the threat of fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

Hewlett-Packard has issued a  recall of certain laptop computer batteries, which can overheat, posing the threat of fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.

About 135,000 battery packs worldwide, including about 85,000 in the U.S., are involved in the recall. An internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat and melt or char the plastic case, posing a burn and fire hazard, the company says.HP says it has received 16 reports of batteries overheating, including four in the U.S. No injuries have been reported. Four cases of minor property damage were reported, including one in the U.S.

The recalled lithium ion rechargeable battery packs are used with various HP and Compaq notebook computers. The recalled battery packs are a subset of those manufactured March 2004 through September 2004, and will have a bar code label starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. The CPSC says consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately and contact HP to arrange for a free replacement battery. For additional information, visit the HP Battery Replacement program Web site at http://www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement