DALLAS — Dell Inc. said yesterday it will recall 4.1 million notebook computer batteries made by Sony Corp. because they can overheat and catch fire.

Round Rock-based Dell negotiated conditions of the recall with the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, which called it the largest electronics-related recall ever involving the agency.

A Dell spokesman said the Sony batteries were placed in notebooks that were shipped between April 1, 2004, and July 18 of this year.

“In rare cases, a short-circuit could cause the battery to overheat, causing a risk of smoke and/or fire,” said the spokesman, Ira Williams. “It happens in rare cases, but we opted to take this broad action immediately.”

The battery packs were included in some models of Dell’s Latitude, Inspiron, XTS, and precision mobile workstation notebooks.Dell planned to launch a Web site overnight that would describe the affected models. Williams said the Web site would tell consumers how to get free replacement batteries from Dell.

Dell officials declined to say how much the recall campaign would cost or what portion, if any, Sony would pay. Sony officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The larger potential cost for Dell is that such a huge recall could dampen future notebook sales.

Dell rival Hewlett-Packard Co. said it does not use Sony batteries and was not affected by the recall. Apple Computer Inc.is investigating whether its notebook batteries meet safety and performance standards, spokeswoman Lynn Fox said.

There have been numerous recent news reports about Dell laptops bursting into flames, and pictures of some of the charred machines have circulated on the Internet.

Dell, the world’s largest maker of personal computers, confirmed that two weeks ago, one of its laptops caught fire in Illinois, and the owner dunked it in water to douse the flames.