Sony recalling Bravia TVs over melting danger, reports say
The television models were first produced and sold in 2007, though this doesn't appear to be a full recall of all models.
Sony has issued a recall on several Bravia televisions that were produced and sold since 2007, several reports claim.
According to the BBC, a total of 1.6 million of the affected sets have been sold worldwide. Citing a page on Sony's Europe Web site, the news service says Sony's KDL-40D3400, KDL-40D3500, KDL-40D3550, and KDL-40D3660 models, among several others, have been tagged as potential dangers.
"We have recently become aware of a potential issue affecting a very limited number of Bravia LCD TV models, which have been available for purchase in Europe since June 2007," Sony wrote on its site. The page didn't mention any U.S. issues, even though the televisions were also sold in the States.
The affected televisions have a faulty component that could cause the sets to smoke, melt, or catch fire, according to Bloomberg, which interviewed a Sony representative on the matter. Sony told Bloomberg that it is aware of 11 "incidents" that occurred in Japan because of the faulty component.
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This latest blow to Sony's television division could intensify calls for the company to spin off or sell the operation to bolster its own financial statements. Over the last several quarters, Sony's financials have been dogged by poor performance from its television division, prompting shareholders to complain that it's time for the company to look for another option for that operation.
Through it all, Sony's second-in-command, Kazuo Hirai, has continued to assert that he believes Sony's television business is an integral part of the company.
"We all know it's a challenging business, but that doesn't equate to 'We should be out of the TV business,' " Hirai told The Wall Street Journal in August. "The question that needs to be asked, which I am trying to engage in very aggressively, is, 'What does it take to turn the business around?' as opposed to, 'Let's leave the business or other options.'"
But now that this latest bit of adversity has been added to television shipments that pale in comparison to those of competing vendors like Samsung and Vizio, Hirai and fellow supporters of Sony's TV business might have an even harder time making their case.
Sony did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.