An urgent recall has been issued for a portable battery sold on Amazon after consumers reported it was ‘expanding, igniting, melting, overheating or smoking.’
The recall affects about 488,000 of the Charmast Power Banks sold from between December 2018 to September 2024 at prices ranging from $14 to $25.
total of 44 cases of the faulty battery were submitted, with four reporting injuries, such as burns and blisters.
‘They were sold in black, blue, green, mint, pink and white colors,’ the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in their recall, adding that the faulty product has ‘Model: W1056’ printed on its back.
The notice urges consumers to stop using the power banks immediately and contact Charmast for instructions on how to receive a full refund.
CPSC also noted that consumers should be diligent about how they dispose of these faulty batteries, regardless of whether or not they pursue a refund.
‘These potentially hazardous batteries must be handled differently than other batteries,’ the recall notice warned.
‘Do not throw this recalled power bank in the trash,’ US CPSC said. ‘Do not deposit this recalled power bank in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores.’
A portable external battery for mobile phones, the Charmast sold on Amazon (above), has been recalled after 44 cases of the device ‘expanding, igniting, melting, overheating or smoking’
In four cases, this exploding power bank, a Charmast model W1056 (above), even directly injured customers — causing ‘burns or blisters,’ according to the recall notice posted by the US CPSC. ‘They were sold in black, blue, green, mint, pink and white colors,’ the CPSC recall said
Anyone who has purchased one of the recalled Charmast devices, according to the US CPSC recall notice, can call the company collect at 929-636-0293 Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm Eastern to request their refund.
Charmast’s recall services can also be initiated via email at rcus@charmast.com, online at https://www.charmast.com/pages/recall-info-page or via the company site’s main page by clicking ‘Recalls’ at the top menu.
Nationwide, there were 445 lithium-ion battery fires, 214 injuries, and 38 deaths in 2023, according to a report by the global private safety company UL Solutions’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI).
Cases of lithium battery fires have seen a ‘significant increase,’ according to the Columbia, Maryland-based research institute.
‘Even when the initial cause of a fire is not a lithium-ion battery,’ FSRI’s executive director Steve Kerber noted, ‘their involvement can increase the intensity and speed of the fire.’
And America’s federal consumer watchdogs spoke forcefully in their recall of the dangerous and defective Charmast power banks.
One 2021 investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that lithium-ion battery fires in waste management facilities have cause 245 separate fires across 28 states, leading to entire buildings burning down in some cases.
Recycling centers, EPA noted, were at a particularly high risk of these fires.
The portable batteries were sold exclusively on Amazon
And it has become an international problem, with Australia’s roughly 3638 US tons [3,300 metric tons] of lithium-ion battery waste each year, causing over 10,000 fires annually in landfills and garbage trucks alone.
Even well-made lithium-ion batteries can lead to serious fires if not handled with care, as multiple dramatic accidents have shown in recent years.
After a short while, the battery catches alight and begins to release large flames, causing the dogs to bark. A spokesperson for the Tulsa Fire Department, said: ‘The outcome could’ve been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time’
In one dramatic case this past summer, a pet dog in Oklahoma caused a house fire while playing with an unattended battery like a chew toy.
The Tulsa Fire Department released footage showing the portable cellphone battery sparking and bursting into flames in May earlier this year.
‘The outcome could’ve been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time,’ Andy Little of the Tulsa Fire Department said.
UL Solution’s researchers at FSRI hope that their own testing of these products will help make them safer in all situations and circumstances.
‘Lithium-ion battery powered devices aren’t going anywhere and will likely be part of our society for years to come,’ UL FSRI’s fire institute director Kerber said.
‘Our goal right now is to better understand how these batteries impact fire behavior,’ Kerber said in a press release, ‘and help people safely use this technology.’
