Canon for once is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The company has admitted that certain lots of PowerShot A530 / PowerShot A540 Digital Camera are faulty. According to Canon "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."

Here is an excerpt from the Canon Press Release:

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.

Cameras in which the opening/closing spring sticks out like in the ones shown in the images below are affected by this malfunction.

Warning: The opening/closing spring and the metal parts on the inside of the battery cover become extremely hot. So to avoid burns, please DO