Sony recalls 1.6 million Bravia TVs

Sony Corp. recalled 1.6 million Bravia flat-panel TVs sold worldwide since 2007 because a faulty component may cause them to melt or catch fire.

Sony recalled the liquid-crystal display TVs after a September incident in which a customer noticed a small fire and smoke, said Yuki Shima, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for the world’s No. 3 maker of televisions. Eleven incidents have been reported in Japan since 2008, according to a company statement, and no injuries have been reported.

A faulty component in the backlight systems may be the source of overheating that can melt the top of the TV set, Shima said. It’s the second recall involving Sony products in a month, with KDDI Corp., Japan’s second-largest mobile-phone operator, saying it would replace Sony-made batteries in as many as 2 million handsets because they may overheat and melt.

“Sony-related recalls are following one another and that may ruin the company’s brand image,” said Keita Wakabayashi, an analyst at Mito Securities Co.

There haven’t been any reports of overheating incidents outside Japan, the company said. The recalls also will be announced in the U.S. and Europe.

This is the company’s first recall of flat-screen televisions, though not the first associated with the Bravia line. In April 2010, Sony offered to repair the stands attached to two models because the screws weren’t strong enough and the stands could collapse.