Nokia has halted sales of its Lumia 2520 tablet over concerns its AC-300 travel charger could give the user an electric shock.
The sales halt is not worldwide, but is limited to parts of Europe and the United States. About 30,000 AC-300 chargers have been sold, with 600 of these being distributed in the United States, the company said.
"Consumers in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and UK are strongly advised to suspend use of the charger until further notice. Also, consumers who purchased the Lumia 2520 travel charger accessory in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, UK and the US are strongly advised to suspend use of the travel charger accessory," the company said.
Nokia has temporarily delayed sales of the tablet and charger in the aforementioned European nations and fully suspended them in the United States.
"We apologize to the owners of the Lumia 2520, and we are working with urgency to minimize the inconvenience," the company said.
The company admitted that the problem effectively makes its tablet useless.
Nokia discovered the problem during an internal quality control test. The plastic cover over the charger's exchangeable plug could come loose and separate from the unit. If this were to happen, the internal components could pose the danger of emitting an electric shock if touched while plugged into a power outlet.
The AC-300 is not made by Nokia, but is manufactured by an unnamed third-party component supplier.
"While there have been no confirmed consumer incidents related to this potential quality issue, product quality and safety are top priorities at Nokia," said Jo Harlow, EVP of Smart Devices. "We apologize to the owners of the Lumia 2520, and we are working with urgency to minimize the inconvenience," the company said in a written statement.
The company made it clear that only the charger associated with the Lumia 2520 is at issue and all other chargers and products are safe to use.
No recall has been issued, but the company has set up a website for consumers requesting more information.
Nokia is now working out the details on replacing the problem chargers, but it does not have a plan in place yet to get these to Lumia 2520 owners.
