August 2, 2007 – Sony Corp. today warned customers of a potential safety hazard on its Cyber-shot DSC-T5 digital camera and offered to repair the defect. On select T5 models, the metal bottom casing warps and can cause injuries if directly touched, according to a Sony representative in an interview with DigitalCameraInfo.com. There are 416,000 affected models.
Since the camera was released in September 2005, one customer in Japan endured a severe "scratch" in June 2006 that required medical assistance, and caused Sony to act, according to the representative.
"We haven't had any serious incidents with our customer base [in the U.S.] yet,” said representative Yolanda Hunt-Boes of Corporate Communications of Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony reports that only three customers in the U.S. have been injured, with an overall 30 reported injuries around the world.
The injuries were caused by a select bottom plating of the T5 camera.
“With certain DSC-T5 models, the metal plating peels away from the camera unit and warps outward. Due to an irregularity during the initial part production, the adhesive strength of the metal plating declined. As a result, it became more likely that damage to the bottom casing could cause the metal plating to peel away and warp outward,” stated the notice.
Affected cameras are early models from July 2005 to October 2005 with serial numbers 3010001 to 3081200. As a response, Sony is offering free replacements for the bottom plating. Users with affected models can call Sony for part replacement. Click here for more information.
