Rechargeable Energizer AAA Battery overheats?

Question

Hi There,

This happened twice already, and I won't be surprised if it happens again... my AAA sized rechargeable battery (from Energizer, my favourite brand) overheats while just lying there in my pocket. The first occurrence was a few weeks ago when I was walking home. Today was the second, when I was filling-up my lunch plate. It overheated so much inside my pocket that I had to extract it with some folded tissue. Any idea WHY this occurs? What can be done about it?

Thanks.
PS: I notice a crack in the battery casing, near the positive terminal. Would that have anything to do with the overheating?

Answer 1

Are there other metallic objects in your pocket along with your batteries? If so, then they could be shorting your battery out causing the overheating.