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On March 4, 2003, IBM and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall of 56,000 IBM G51 and G51t CRT monitors because a circuit board could overheat and smoke, posing a fire hazard. The original notice told consumers to stop using affected monitors and contact IBM for a free inspection and repair or replacement. That was historical guidance; the notice does not confirm that its phone number or remedy is still available.
Which IBM monitors were included in the original recall?
The March 4, 2003 notice covered IBM G51 CRT monitors and G51t touchscreen CRT monitors. Check the model number on the label at the rear of the monitor. CPSC listed these models:
- 6541-02N
- 6541-02E
- 6541-02S
- 6541-Q0N
- 6541-Q0E
- 6541-Q0S
For the original G51 units, the notice specified a manufacturing period from June through September 1997. The listed model number and, where applicable, manufacture date are the identifiers given in the original notice; the announcement does not establish that every monitor with a similar name or appearance was included. CPSC’s March 4, 2003 recall notice has the original identification details.
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The circuit board could overheat and smoke, creating a fire hazard. In the March 2003 announcement, IBM reported five incidents of overheating and smoke, including one report of minor property damage. The notice said no injuries had been reported at that time. These figures describe reports in the original announcement, not a current incident count.
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What should an owner do?
The 2003 notice instructed consumers to stop using covered monitors immediately and contact IBM for a free inspection and repair or replacement. It listed the IBM Repair Center number as (800) 426-7378. That number and remedy are historical details from the notice, not confirmation of a working contact channel or an available service today.
If you have a monitor matching the listed model and date details, do not rely on the old notice alone to determine whether a remedy is still available. Seek current guidance from an official IBM or CPSC channel. The source record does not verify present-day remedy availability.
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How the later 2003 expansion differs
On August 29, 2003, CPSC and LiteOn announced an expansion that added 63,000 monitors manufactured through September 1998. That was a separate, later addition; it does not change the original March announcement’s figure of 56,000 monitors. The expansion notice also included a report of minor smoke inhalation among the incidents for the expanded program, separate from the five overheating and smoke reports stated in the original notice. See the August 29, 2003 CPSC expansion notice for its scope.
CPSC’s Fiscal Year 2003 annual report also lists the IBM G51/G51t monitors, defective solder connections that could overheat, and repair or replacement at no charge.
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