Nuvi 200W, 250W, & 260W Battery Recall. Flaming battery?

[Siskiyou]

 
nüvi Battery PCB Recall
 
Garmin is voluntarily recalling certain nüvi devices that contain a specific battery that was manufactured by the battery supplier within a limited date code range. Garmin has identified potential overheating issues when certain batteries manufactured by the third-party battery supplier within a limited date code range are used in certain Garmin nüvi models with a specific printed circuit board (PCB) 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. 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.
 
The recalled devices include a small subset of the following nüvi model numbers:
 

• nüvi 200W, 250W, & 260W
• nüvi 7xx (where xx is a two-digit number)

You can determine your nüvi model number by looking at the label on the back or bottom of your nüvi.
 
https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={32e44bf0-b057-11df-7c94-000000000000}
 

[Glanceblamm]

Thanks for the info Siskiyou.

certain nüvi devices that contain a specific battery

On the surface, it sounds like they may be testing the Lithium Polymer (LI-Po for short) battery that is great for high demand usage such as the Radio Controlled sports and can be recharged up to 500 times on some of them.
These batteries have came way down in price in the last year or so making them affordable to the general public. There are downfalls though as one is never to let one of these charge unattended with the charging being done on a ceramic plate with a weighted cage on top in the event that one of the cells decides to take off like a missle.
Further hazards are that the RC crowd must study the battery closely after a crash as an impact can sometimes cause a leakage of white smoke that could mean fire or possibly a complete burst of the battery. 
Back to the subject though, Did Garmin put a Li-Po in the units that you identified?...I know of at least one case where security cameras caught a kid quickly fishing a cell phone from his pocket and tossing it away from himself. Seems that it had got a little hot! I dont know what type of battery was involved.

[Siskiyou]

The press release from Garmin is the only knowledge I have of their battery problem.

Looking back 20+ years Fire Fighting Hotshot Crews were issued Lithium batteries for their headlamps. This was a test program to find if the meet the need and suitable for the use.  Wildland Fire Fighters spend a lot of night hours fighting fires.  At the time I am not aware of Lithium batteries being issued to other wildland FF.  I was using the same alkaline batteries issued to rank and file FF.

A flyer came out directing the turn in of the Lithium batteries, and a warning not to carry them on board aircraft. (Remember this was old 1980’s technology.)  There was a warning that the batteries might break out into flame when airborne.
Garmin:
Date: September 8, 2006
Subject: Important information regarding Garmin products with rechargeable lithium-ion
batteries

Some Garmin products are equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The
lithium-ion battery technology enables your Garmin product to hold a charge longer than
comparable batteries and provides more power for running the numerous features
included in your Garmin product. However, in rare cases lithium-ion batteries may overheat, which can lead to a possible fire risk.
To help eliminate the possibility of such an event occurring with your Garmin productand help maximize battery life, please be aware that extremely high temperatures (greater
than 140° F, 60° C) can increase the possibility of poor battery performance or a battery
overheating situation. Therefore, when using your Garmin product as an automotive
navigator attached to your vehicle’s windshield or dashboard, you should remove the
Garmin product from direct sunlight when departing your vehicle on a hot day. Please
store the unit in your vehicle’s glove box, trunk, or other vehicle compartment, or take
the unit with you upon leaving the vehicle. Taking these precautions will reduce the
possibility of the battery reaching these elevated temperatures.
Garmin appreciates your loyal support as we continue to develop, manufacture, and sell
the world’s leading line of GPS navigation products. Safety and customer satisfaction
will remain our highest priorities at Garmin.

If you have any questions, please contact Garmin Product Support at 1-800-800-1020
or 1-888-442-7646 or visit the Support web page at http://www.garmin.com/contactUs/techSupport.jsp
http://www8.garmin.com/safety/pdf/battery.pdf#search=%22battery%22

The Lithium-lon Battery Packs I have for my Garmin Rino 530HCx have provided great service in hot and cold temperatures.  They have never been exposed to extreme heat.
Dell computers replaced one of the Lithium-lon batteries that I have for my laptop computer because of fire risk.

[Glanceblamm]

I agree on the great service of these batteries. Some of the chargers are generic and the recommendation is not to leave them unattended. Other chargers which can be more expensive will measure the individual cell voltage and equlize them even if it has to discharge to do this. I would expect that the chargers would become more sophisticated like the one I mention...if the accountant lets the manufacture do this.