This is a massive task as figures from analyst firm IDC show the number of Dell laptops sold in Australia during the 2005 calendar year topped 178,401.

However, a local Dell spokesperson would not reveal the number of customers affected or how many had been contacted to date.

The spokesperson said Dell's online purchasing business model makes it easy to track down customers.

"Part of that build-to-order model is using our unique service tags so we can work out which batteries have been affected by the recall," the spokesperson said.

"Whether through an enterprise fleet buyer or a home customer, Dell has direct relationships with customers and we will be contacting [them] directly."