Dell will recall about 4.4 million power adapters for some of its laptop computers because of a risk of overheating, which could lead to a fire or electrical shock.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says Dell has received seven reports of incidents involving the AC adapters overheating but no injuries were reported.

Roughly 990,000 of those adapters were sold to US consumers, while the rest were sold overseas or to corporate customers in the United States.

The recall covers adapters used with some Dell Latitude, Precision and Inspiron notebook computers and have the words "DELL" and "P/N 9364U," P/N 7832D" or "P/N 4983D" written on the back.

The adapters, manufactured by Delta Electronics Inc, were included in computers sold between September 1998 and February 2002 and were also sold separately.

Consumers should contact the company to determine if their equipment is affected.

Those who have recalled adapters will receive a free replacement.

(CRI October 10, 2004)