SonyEricsson recalls a number of faulty chargers in the UK:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/uk/spg.jsp?template=CST13_recall

Pressure buildup??

Hmm....I wonder if it's a bad batch of electrolytic capacitors, under-rated caps or probably installed with REVERSE POLARITY

Polarized electrolytics don't like to be connected backwards....

That doesn't explain why the housing would explode like that. Shouldn't it be strong enough to contain such an explosion?

Electrolytics can explode quite forcefully if connected the wrong way around, but I would have thought the ABS case would contain any such force from the size of capacitors likely to be used in one of these chargers.

It's a curious safety recall.

The whole thing is molded upsidedown. Is this up to BS?

I see these molded power-packs with the stampings and labels both ways up.

I'm not sure you'll find anything in British Standards about it. Although everybody here just "knows" that BS1363 sockets should be mounted earth upward, there's nothing set down in IEE Regs. to specify that outlets be so mounted.

This must be some sort of an explosion that can blow one of them plastic cases apart like that, ever tried to open one of them cases up?.
I'd agree with Sven and Paul in saying that it is more likely to be an incorrectly connected capacitor.
They obviously never batch-tested these at the factory, before they left.
Don't you just LOVE that out-sourced, imported gear?.

[Edited to remove bad spelling error]

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 09-11-2003).]

I wonder if the regular citizenrie of (insert name of your favorite Far Eastern country here) hurl swears at the manufacturers when they buy something that turns out to fail nastily:

"#&#(*&#$ domestic piece of garbage!!!"

Although I betcha the stuff made for the domestic market in these countries is probably of 10 times higher quality than what we get over here....