88,000 Nvidia Shield tablets recalled due to heat risk
Nvidia announced on Friday that Nvidia Shield tablets sold between July 2014 and July 2015 need to be sent back to the manufacturer. Nvidia promises to replace all recalled units.
As is typical for gadget recalls, the problem lies in the 8-inch tablet's battery. Nvidia has received four reports of overheating, and two of those reports included damage to flooring as a result, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. All told, the recall affects around 88,000 tablet units sold in the U.S. and Canada, the CPSC says.
Anyone affected by the Shield recall can either visit Nvidia's dedicated recall website or call the recall hotline at 1-888-943-4196.
Nvidia warns that users should stop using the Shield tablets immediately except to participate in the recall program or back-up personal data on the device. Before you can return your tablet, Nvidia is requiring that everyone update the slate's system software to the latest release.
Nvidia says the recall only affects Shield owners with particular battery types. To check if your device is being recalled, open the Settings app on a fully updated system and go to About tablet > Status > Battery. There you should see one of two options: Y01 or B01. If you have Y01, you are part of the recall.
You can also tell if your Shield tablet is affected by checking the model and serial number on the left side edge of your tablet. The CPSC says the recall affects model numbers P1761, P1761W and P1761WX and serial numbers 0410215901781 through 0425214604018.
Why this matters: This is a terrible blow to Nvidia in its early foray into complete hardware. The Nvidia Shield Tablet was the GPU maker's second device project after the Shield Portable, and was followed by the Shield Android TV (a.k.a Shield Console). This likely won't dampen the company's hardware goals, however, and it will no doubt quickly get back to making hardware that is hot--just not hot hot.