Acer Computers Defective Lithium-Ion Batteries Class Action

This class action centers on allegations about lithium-ion batteries in the laptops of Acer America Corporation. The complaint alleges that the batteries have one or more defects that Acer does not or cannot test for, and that the batteries cannot take and maintain a full charge and adequate performance for a reasonable length of time after purchase.

Two classes have been defined for this action:

• The Alabama Class is all persons in Alabama who bought the product during the applicable statutes of limitations.
• The Consumer Fraud Multi-State Class is all persons in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Oklahoma who bought the product during the applicable statutes of limitations.

At issue is Acer’s Spin 1 Series of laptops, featuring models such as the Spin 1 SP111-33-P1XD, which contain lithium-ion batteries. Batteries are the feature that make laptops portable, so that they can be used without being plugged in.

Lithium-ion batteries have six parts: two electrodes (an anode and a cathode), two current collectors, an electrolyte, and a separator. The electrodes are kept apart by the separator, which is soaked in the electrolyte. As the battery discharges, the anode becomes oxidized, and lithium ions are deintercalated from (or removed from between the parts or layers of) the anode and intercalated into (interspersed between the parts or layers of) the cathode. When the battery is charged, the process happens in the opposite direction.

The complaint alleges, “A laptop user expects its battery to adequately function for the lifespan [of] the laptop[] and not suffer rapid degradation and failure.” It names problems with lithium-ion batteries as “premature failure, high C-rate (electrical current drain rate), swelling and overheating, which are not always attributed to normal degradation.”

The complaint reviews a number of ways that batteries can become degraded, including through structural cell defects, coating problems, pinholes, blisters, clogged pores, and other problems with the various parts of the batteries and the effects on their separation or interaction.

The complaint alleges, “Though material impurities and contaminants introduced during manufacturing may not cause failure, they can provoke catastrophic cell damage during cycling and can affect the battery’s resistance, reducing its usable lifespan.”

“Testing methods for batteries are limited to electrochemical characterization,” the complaint alleges, “focusing on macroscopic battery performance, including impedance and capacity measurements.” But they do not test everything: “These tests overlook failure precursors and defects introduced during manufacturing, including raw electrode material processing, cell grading and battery pack assembling.”

Because Acer does not use all testing procedures available to eliminate the issues mentioned, the complaint alleges, “users have a greater chance of buying laptops with battery performance issues, unconnected to their usage patterns.” The complaint claims, “By selling its laptops, [Acer] represents that their component parts are adequate for usage and will function reliably for a reasonable period of time.”

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Battery, Defective Computer, Defective Product