squeaky penguin

I sold a battery recently that was returned for having expanded. I checked the battery's voltage at 4.44V per cell. Now, my question is: could this battery have gotten over charged even with a good, auto-cutoff charger? I understand that there can be many factors in a battery expanding, but is there something that can cause it to over charge besides user error? Thanks for any input.

soarhead-RCU

I have heard of cases where the battery was charged in the cold and then warmed up and then they will gain voltage, but dont know how much. .2v seems like a lot but maybe its possible. My guess would be user error or charger problems though.........

Bob