Recall PowerBook G4 batteries failing

A large number of users are reporting an issue where replacement PowerBook G4 batteries obtained through the "Battery Exchange Program iBook G4 and PowerBook G4" recall are failing to hold a normal charge, in some cases limiting capacity and in more severe cases restricting usage to AC power.

The recall was due to Apple's admission that certain batteries manufactured by Sony Corporation of Japan "pose a safety risk that may result in overheating under rare circumstances." The affected batteries were sold worldwide from October 2003 through August 2006 for use with the following notebook computers: 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4.

As described by Apple Discussions poster "pragmato":

"Recall replacement battery sits at 0% and will not charge anymore, 3756 mAh and 197 charge cycles. Failed to charge after I didn't use the pb for a few days without power connected. I tried all the tips, PMU reset etc but the only thing I can seem to produce is either a x or 0% battery icon. "

MacFixIt readers, meanwhile, write:

• "In my case, I've got a PowerBook G4 15'' Aluminium, running OS X 10.4.10 and I'm experiencing the same problem regarding battery power. I've updated firmware, and reseted the PMU, but still doing this. It shows the almost 4 hours remaining when full charge. In less than 40 minutes it goes down to remaining 1hr (instead of 3hrs) by the time it gets to 1hr remaining it goes to sleep without warning. Of course as soon as I plug it again it wakes up showing only 1% battery life and charging."
• "I have been experiencing problems with my Powerbook G4 1,67 Ghz battery for a few months now. Basically, when I unplugged my computer (at 100% charge), I can only manage to use it for 10-20 minutes at most, and when it reaches a certain charge level - say, 90%, it goes then straight to 10% (instead of 89%) and then quickly shuts off without any warning."

The issue of Mac portables going to sleep without warning is one we've covered extensively in the past.

Some users report that the unexpected sleep issue happens more frequently during disk, graphics, or audio intensive activities - including watching a DVD or listening to music through the built-in speakers.

Knowledge Base article #86284 explains the PowerBook/iBook re-calibration process, which may work to correct this problem in some instances:

"The Lithium Ion battery of an iBook or PowerBook computer has an internal microprocessor that provides an estimate of the amount of energy in the battery during charging and discharging. The battery needs to be re-calibrated from time to time to keep the on screen battery time and percent display accurate. You should perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then every few months thereafter."

Some users have reported that resetting their portables' PMU solved this issue. Apple provides details for performing the reset procedure for a number of portable models in Knowledge Base article #14449.

One solution that has proved successful for some readers is the usage of a third-party battery monitoring utility. Michael Sugerman suggests "SlimBatteryMonitor":

A separate less-than-helpful and erroneous Knowledge Base article from Apple reads:

"PowerBook and iBook computers running a version of Mac OS X 10.2 may not display an alert message that the battery is low before going to sleep. This will only occur in Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.2.8. If you are running a version of Mac OS X 10.2 on a PowerBook or iBook, be sure you connect the computer to its power adapter once it goes to sleep."

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