If you own a Canon PowerShot A530 or A540, you’re going to want to read the following safety notice on Canon’s website. Basically, the spring latch on the battery enclosure can overheat, causing a short circuit in the camera. Canon will repair or replace all affected camera’s free-of-charge, regardless of whether it is under warranty or not.

Safety Notice: PowerShot A530/A540 Overheats

To Customers Who Use the PowerShot A530 / PowerShot A540 Digital Camera:

Thank you for using Canon products.

We have discovered that, in a very small number of PowerShot A530 and PowerShot A540 digital cameras, the area around the battery cover on the bottom of the camera may become hot. We would like to convey the details of this phenomenon and our service policy.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who use these products. We spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.

Phenomenon
We have discovered that in cameras where the opening/closing spring on the inside of the battery cover (see images below) sticks out beyond its regular position, if a battery is put into these cameras and the battery cover is closed, it causes a short-circuit and the following phenomena occur:

1) The bottom of the camera becomes extremely hot near the battery cover.

2) Batteries that are loaded are depleted quickly.

3) The number of shots that can be taken becomes extremely small.

Affected Cameras
PowerShot A530, PowerShot A540 Digital Cameras

Please check the first two numbers from the left in the serial number listed on the bottom of the camera.

The serial number: Cameras with “21”, “22”, “23”, “24”, as the first two numbers from the left.

For cameras with the serial numbers listed above, please open the battery cover and check the hinge part.

….

Canon Support
PowerShot A530 and A540 digital cameras affected by this phenomenon will be repaired free of charge, regardless of warranty status. Accordingly, if the opening/closing spring on the inside of the battery cover of your PowerShot A530 or A540 digital camera sticks out, please do not use the camera. Instead, please contact a Canon call center (at the toll-free number below) at your earliest convenience.

Contact Information for Inquiries
Call Center
1-800-828-4040 (toll free)
8AM - Midnight - Monday to Friday
10AM - 8PM - Saturdays
Email: carecenter@cits.canon.com