Toshiba said that the faulty batteries supplied by Sony Corporation would not cause fires and that battery failure would occur "only in rare cases," but that the battery could fail.

This is the latest in a string of Sony battery rejections worldwide. Dell Inc and Apple Computer Inc had in August announced the recall of nearly six million Sony-made notebook PC batteries, saying they could catch fire.

Toshiba said its battery problems differ from those of Apple and Dell and that they are not as severe as in the case of the other two companies. In case of Apple and Dell, the faulty batteries were overheating and catching fire.

Toshiba said the affected batteries will not catch fire, but that they might fail and run out of power. And, although the company said battery failures would occur only in rare cases, it has assured customers of free replacement of faulty batteries.

Toshiba spokesman declined to detail cost of the move, but said it would not affect earnings.