THE world’s biggest cell phone maker Nokia said yesterday that some 46 million batteries used in its phones could overheat and it would replace them at no cost to consumers.Nokia said the Nokia-branded “BL-5C” batteries were made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. between December 2005 and November 2006.“[The batteries] could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge,” Nokia said in a statement.Nokia said 100 overheating cases of batteries in question had been reported globally, but no serious injuries were reported.The BL-5C is Nokia’s most widely used battery and several suppliers have made more than 300 million of them for Nokia.A local Nokia representative said the company would swap any defective batteries at no charge, and said consumers should call the Nokia hotline (886-1234) or visit its Web site www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement).Nokia said its product advisory applied only to Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006.The defective batteries would not damage the phones, the company added.The BL-5C batteries are used with the following Nokia models or separately as accessories:

Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60

“Nokia” and “BL-5C” are printed on the front of the battery. On the back, the Nokia mark appears at the top, and the battery’s 26-character identification number is found at the bottom.