An emergency recall has been issued for a portable battery sold on Amazon after consumers reported it “expanding, igniting, melting, overheating or smoking.”
The recall affects approximately 488,000 of the Charmast Power Banks sold between December 2018 and September 2024 at prices ranging from $14 to $25.
A total of 44 cases of the defective battery have been filed, four of which reported injuries such as burns and blisters.
“They were sold in black, blue, green, mint, pink and white,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in its recall, adding that the back of the defective product reads “Model: W1056” printed.
The notice urges consumers to immediately stop using the power banks and contact Charmast for instructions on how to receive a full refund.
CPSC also noted that consumers should be careful about how they dispose of these defective batteries, whether or not they request a refund.
“These potentially hazardous batteries should be handled differently than other batteries,” the recall notice warned.
“Do not throw this recalled power bank in the trash,” the US CPSC said. “Do not dispose of this recalled power bank in used battery recycling boxes found at various stores and hardware stores.”
A portable external battery for cell phones, the Charmast sold on Amazon (above), has been recalled after 44 cases in which the device “expanded, ignited, melted, overheated, or smoked”
In four cases, this exploding power bank, a Charmast model W1056 (above), even directly injured customers, causing “burns or blisters,” according to the US CPSC recall notice. “They were sold in black, blue, green, mint, pink and white,” the CPSC recall said
Anyone who purchased one of the recalled Charmast devices reports the US CPSC recall noticecan call the collect company at 929-636-0293 Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, to request their refund.
Charmast 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 sites main page by clicking on ‘Revocations’ in the main menu.
Nationwide, there were 445 lithium-ion battery fires in 2023, causing 214 injuries and 38 deaths, according to a report from the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) of global private safety company UL Solutions.
According to the Columbia, Maryland-based research institute, the number of lithium battery fires has “significantly increased.”
“Even if the initial cause of a fire is not a lithium-ion battery,” noted Steve Kerber, executive director of FSRI, “their involvement can increase the intensity and speed of the fire.”
And US federal consumer watchdogs spoke strongly in their recall of the dangerous and defective Charmast power banks.
A 2021 Environmental Protection Agency study (EPA) found that lithium-ion battery fires at waste management facilities have caused 245 separate fires in 28 states, in some cases burning down entire buildings.
Recycling centers, EPA noted, were at particularly high risk from these fires.
The portable batteries were sold exclusively on Amazon
And it has become an international problem, as Australia produces about 3,638 tonnes (3,300 metric tons) of lithium-ion battery waste annually, causing more than 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 several dramatic accidents in recent years have shown.
After a short time the battery catches fire and starts releasing large flames, causing the dogs to bark. A spokesperson for the Tulsa Fire Department said, “The outcome could have been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time.”
In one dramatic case last summer, a dog in Oklahoma started a house fire while playing with an unattended battery, such as a chew toy.
The Tulsa Fire Department released footage showing the portable cell phone battery sparking and catching fire in May earlier this year.
“The outcome could have been much worse if there had been no means of escape or if the family was asleep at the time,” said Andy Little with the Tulsa Fire Department.
UL Solution researchers at FSRI hope that their own testing of these products will help make them safer in all situations and conditions.
“Lithium-ion battery powered devices are not going anywhere and will likely be part of our society for years to come,” said Kerber, director of UL FSRI’s Fire Institute.
“Our goal at this time is to better understand how these batteries affect fire behavior,” Kerber said in a news release, “and help people use this technology safely.”