Nokia Found Defected Charges

  Nokia Corp. announced Monday that some 14 million mobile phone chargers could be dangerous for users and said it will replace them free of charge.

Photo: Nokia Found Defected Charges

  According to Nokia, during a routine quality control process the company stumbled across the defect. The problem apparently is that the plastic cover come loose exposing the internal components, with potentially shocking results.

  The chargers, bearing Nokia's name and made by Chinese battery and auto part maker BYD Co., are models AC-3E and AC-3U, made between June 15 and Aug. 9 this year; and AC-4U, manufactured between April 13 and Oct. 25, 2009. They were mostly sold in Europe and North America.

   Yet the company had received no reports of injuries or accidents related to the chargers.

  Nokia is the world's largest mobile phone maker with an estimated 38 % global market share of all mobile devices. In the third quarter it sold 108.5 million units.

  Based in Espoo near the Finnish capital, it sold 468 million handsets last year, up 7 % on 2007, according to the Associated Press'  report.