Nokia Australia has revealed that the mobile phone battery which blew up on a pregnant woman in India last week was probably a third-party model, which could mean that the company won’t take responsibility for injuries caused to the woman involved, her Nokia mobile phone and her furniture, which was also damaged in the explosion.
The battery, which was set on charge in the woman’s Kolkota home and 10 minutes later exploded, was originally thought to be a BL-D3 model made by Matsushita for use specifically in Nokia phones.
However, according to a spokesperson from Nokia Australia, it is likely that the battery was a counterfeit model, perhaps bought as a spare or replacement, which means Nokia will be cleared of paying damages to the woman, who was reportedly traumatized and suffered superficial injuries.
“Product safety is a primary concern at Nokia. As such, we take any and all allegations in regard to the safety of our products very seriously,” said Nokia Australia communications manager, Louise Ingram.
“While it would be inappropriate to speculate until a final investigation has been complete, preliminary results indicate that the battery in this incident was not an original Nokia battery. This incident appears to involve a counterfeit battery. We have requested the battery and phone model in question to complete a full investigation.
“There are a number of factors that can cause battery incidents, including product misuse, liquid damage, external force, dog bites, and counterfeiting, among others.”
The victim’s husband was reportedly told by a Nokia spokesperson last week that they would compensate his wife is the handset, the battery and the charger were all found to be original.
