- The Yoto Mini children’s speaker is being recalled again due to fire hazard
- The speaker was initially considered a fire hazard in April
- Parents should remove the speaker from the reach of children and stop using it
- You will need to contact Yoto for a free battery replacement kit even if you have already received the smart cable from the April 2024 recall
Another day, another overheating audio product – only for this particular speaker designed for children, it’s bad luck the second time.
The Yoto Mini speaker hasn’t had a good year. More than 250,000 of them were recalled in April due to overheating batteries – at least the cable was recalled and replaced. And it looks like that wasn’t enough.
The overheating problem cited is the same on both occasions most recent product recall and the April reminder Issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states: “the speaker’s lithium-ion battery may overheat and catch fire, posing a fire and fire hazard to consumers.”
This time, the CPSC report directs owners to “immediately stop using the recalled speakers, remove them from the reach of children, and contact Yoto for a free battery replacement kit. Consumers should request the battery replacement kit, even if they already received the smart cable in the box.” Recall April 2024.”
Owners are also asked to dispose of old lithium-ion batteries in accordance with local and national regulations, and not as landfill.
Too hot to handle – request a Yoto Mini battery replacement kit now
The latest report from December 11 states that Yoto has now received a total of nine reports from US consumers (up from seven in April) and three from a UK consumer of the speaker “overheating or melting”, although thankfully no injuries have been reported.
According to the CPSC notice, approximately 251,165 Yoto Mini units were sold between November 2021 and April 2024 (an additional approximately 18,932 were sold in Canada). Aimed at children aged three to 12, the speakers are controlled using Yoto cards and are designed to play audiobooks, music, radio and podcasts. They were available from November 2021 through April 2024 and cost approximately $70, with the SKU number PRPLXX00860. Again, if you have one, stop using it and request a free battery replacement package Yoto.
Yoto released a statement telling customers, “Please be assured that this does not mean you have to return your Yoto Mini (2021-2023). Instead, the battery replacement kit uses the same battery found in the Yoto Mini (2024 edition) and will restore your Yoto Mini with a brand new battery.… Yoto Mini (2024 edition) is not affected by this problem because it contains a battery from a different supplier.”
The news comes just days after Anker recalled nearly 80,000 Bluetooth speakers due to potentially dangerous overheating batteries — and the two incidents are not isolated cases. On November 20, Audio-Technica had to warn buyers that some batches of its affordable 2024 earbuds had an overheating housing, and on November 28, Belkin also issued a recall for its BoostCharge Pro (model number BPD005) power bank.
One thing’s for sure: whoever can invent and deliver to the mass market a safer and more planet-friendly portable energy alternative to lithium-ion batteries – ideally one that doesn’t require as much surface space as the otherwise great Powerfoyle – will do so. are doing very well indeed.