Consumer electronics giant Sony has recalled 415, 000 battery packs used in DVD players, camcorders, digital cameras and other devices. The recall follows the discovery of three defective battery packs in Japan and Germany. A malfunctioning welding machine cracked some battery cells during manufacturing, causing them to overheat or smoke when recharged, according to the company.

Sony is recalling about 415,000 InfoLithium battery packs distributed worldwide–160,000 in the United States–manufactured between March and June 1999.

Potentially defective battery models are InfoLithium NP-F750 and NP-550, which were sold at retail and bundled with some Sony consumer devices, such as the UPX-2000 video printer and accessory kit and DSC-D700 Cyber-shot Pro digital camera. Sony sells the rechargeable batteries for use in its Handyman camcorders, Mavica digital cameras and portable DVD players, among other devices.