Lithium Ion Batteries

Lenovo of Morrisville, N.C., is recalling about 3,300 Lenovo USB-C laptop power banks sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The power bank’s internal screws can come loose, causing a short circuit and overheating the lithium-ion battery, posing a fire hazard.

The firm has received one report of a fire causing minimal property damage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the Lenovo USB USB-C laptop power bank, model number PBLG2W.

The power bank has a 20,000 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery used to charge laptops, cell phones, and other devices when an electrical outlet is not available.

The power bank is black and measures approximately 7 inches long by 3 inches wide. “Lenovo” is printed in black letters on a red tag on the USB power cord.

The recalled units were manufactured between January 2022, and June 2022. The manufacturing date is located on the product label in a year/month (YY/MM) format.

The part number 40ALLG2WWW and the model number PBLG2W are also located on the product label.

The power banks, manufactured in China, were sold online at www.lenovo.com, www.newegg.com, www.cdw.com, www.insight.com, www.connection.com, www.shi.com, www.Softchoice.com, www.eBay.com and www.staples.com from May 2022, through January 2023, for about $100.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Lenovo USB-C Laptop Power Banks and contact Lenovo for a free replacement as well as instructions for properly disposing of lithium-ion batteries.

Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash or battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. They can cause fires and explosions if they are damaged or crushed and are a hazard when thrown in the trash.

Consumers may contact Lenovo toll-free at (866) 989-0515 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at recalls@lenovo.com or online at https://support.lenovo.com/solutions/HT515669 for more information.

Over the weekend New York City firefighters were called to the Bronx where a grocery store was engulfed in flames, injuring seven people.

The cause of the blaze is one fire officials say has become more common in recent months. Investigators quickly traced the origin of the fire to an electric scooter with a lithium-ion battery.

That simple device resulted in a five-alarm blaze, requiring over 50 emergency vehicles and more than 200 firefighters to bring it under control.

The city’s fire department reports the number of fires caused by an electric bike or scooter, usually being charged overnight, more than doubled to 216 over the last 12 months. The department says the fires killed two people and injured more than 40.

E-bikes and scooters have proliferated in large urban centers like New York in recent years because they give people who would ordinarily walk or take public transit the ability to cover a couple of miles fairly quickly. But because they have batteries they can become a hazard.

Safety experts say consumers should not leave their bikes and scooters plugged in overnight if they are inside a building. If they are left in a hallway, for example, the resulting fire could trap people inside the dwelling, especially if it occurs in the middle of the night.

Last month New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh told reporters that she believes the devices are “incredibly dangerous” if owners don’t follow safety guidelines. She and other safety officials have expressed concerns as the number of these fairly inexpensive devices increases.

Consumers considering the purchase of an electric bike or scooter should be aware of the risks. According to Ion Energy, there are several reasons lithium-ion batteries are prone to overheating and sometimes burst into flames.

Design flaws

Because bikes and scooters are small, the battery must fit in a small space. Designers try to come up with compact designs by putting more power cells into smaller spaces.

In many cases, a flawed design leads to damage to the battery’s components. If the damage causes a short circuit, the battery can overheat and catch fire.

Manufacturing defects

Even when the battery is properly designed, if the manufacturer cuts corners it can reduce safety. For example, if metallic particles get into the lithium-ion cell during the manufacturing process sparks can fly.

While companies manufacturing the batteries need to adhere to industry standards, bike and scooter manufacturers should use only the best quality batteries.

Other factors

Even if the bike and its battery are of high quality, the way the vehicle is used can also affect its safety. If a collision causes the penetration of the battery packs a short circuit could result in a fire. Storing the bike or scooter next to a heat source can also be dangerous.

Just as with a cellphone, using a poorly designed or insulated charger can cause damage to the battery. Safety experts say bike and scooter owners should always use a charger that was designed for the vehicle.

Ocean Technology Systems of Santa Ana, Calif., is recalling about 536 underwater communication devices sold in the U.S. and Canada.

Water can leak into the device during a dive and penetrate into the battery pack, causing the battery circuit board to short and ignite after the dive.

The firm has reported one small fire with the battery’s PC circuit board during testing. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the PowerCom 3000D, 5000D, and MilCom 6000D underwater communication devices sold with the RBLi-4 Lithium battery pack and the batteries that are also sold separately. The PowerCom, MilCom and RBLi-4 products are used in all SCUBA diving.

The recalled RBLi-4 battery packs are in a waterproof housing and supply power to the PowerCom and MilCom products. PowerCom and MilCom, along with the model numbers, are printed on the front of the underwater communication devices.

The underwater communication devices, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Blue Dolphin Dive Shop (North Carolina), Performance Scuba (Alabama), Lauderdale Marine Center (Florida), Mountain West Commercial Diving (Idaho), and other dive shops and municipalities nationwide and online at www.otscomm.com from January 2021, through April 2022, for between $1,650 and $3,600.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled communication devices, remove the battery, and contact the firm to receive a free battery pack that has been sealed to prevent water leakage.

The firm will provide instructions for properly disposing of lithium-ion batteries according to federal and state regulations.

Consumers may contact Ocean Technology Systems at (800) 550-1984 from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (PT) Monday through Thursday and from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (PT) on Friday, by email at salessupport@oceantechnologysystems.com, or online for more information.

SunVilla Corporation of Chino, Calif., is recalling about 433,000 10’ Solar LED Market Umbrellas sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The lithium-ion batteries in the umbrella’s solar panels can overheat, posinHag fire and burn hazards.

The firm has received six reports of the lithium-ion batteries overheating. This includes three reports of solar panels catching fire while charging via the AC adapter indoors and two reports of umbrellas catching fire when the solar panel puck overheated and caught fire while attached to the umbrella and one smoke inhalation injury. 

This recall involves all 10’ Solar LED Market Umbrellas sold in a variety of colors.  

The umbrellas have LED lights on the arms of the umbrella and a black solar panel battery puck at the top of the umbrella.  

The solar puck has a black cover marked with “YEEZE” or “YEEZE 1.”

The umbrellas, manufactured in China, were sold exclusively at Costco warehouses nationwide and online at www.costco.com from December 2020, through May 2022, for between $130 and $160.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the umbrellas, remove the solar panel puck containing a lithium-ion battery from the top of the umbrella, store the puck out of the sun and away from combustible material, and do not charge the puck with the AC adapter. 

Consumers may return the umbrellas and solar puck to any Costco Warehouse nationwide for a full refund. Consumers unable to return the product to Costco may contact the firm for instructions on how to receive a refund. 

SunVilla and Costco are contacting all known purchasers.

Consumers may contact SunVilla toll-free at (866) 600-3133 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday, by email at LEDRecall@sunvilla.com, or online at https://sunvilla.com/pages/recall for more information.

Eguana Technologies of Calgary, Canada, is recalling about 245 Evolve Home Energy Storage Systems.

The lithium-ion battery modules within the system can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the Eguana Technologies Evolve 0513U Home Energy Storage System, which allows owners to capture and store energy from solar panels. Each Evolve system includes between two and six battery modules, and the modules are removable and replaceable by trained installers.

The Evolve is a freestanding cabinet that measures nearly three feet high and four feet long with the Eguana logo located on the left door towards the center.

The serial number range of the systems containing recalled batteries is between ET-000200 and ET-000600. The serial number is located inside the cabinet toward the bottom left of the unit.

The storage systems, manufactured in Canada, were sold at Hawaii Energy Connection, Hannah Solar, Solar Direct, Creative Solar, Sunnova, and others stores in Hawaii, California, Florida, Georgia, and New Hampshire.

Eguana sold units to installers from June 2017, through December 2019, for between $8,000 and $18,000 depending upon the system capacity (a customer’s full system cost ranged between $40,000 and $80,000 depending upon storage capacity).

What to do

Consumers should immediately contact Eguana Technologies to schedule a free repair for their Evolve system.

All recalled units connected online will have the batteries state of charge remotely limited to reduce the risk of overheating until the batteries are replaced.

If your unit is not connected online, contact Eguana Technologies to schedule a technician to come to your residence to manually reduce the state of charge, at no cost.

Eguana Technologies will arrange for all recalled lithium-ion batteries to be properly replaced and disposed of according to federal and state regulations. The company is contacting all known owners directly or through its installers.

Consumers may contact Eguana Technologies at (800) 667-6478 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at lgrecall@eguanatech.com, or online at www.eguanatech.com/recalls for more information.

Razor USA of Cerritos, Calif., is recalling about 237,300 Hovertrax 2.0 Self-Balancing Scooters/Hoverboards with GLW battery packs.

The lithium-ion GLW battery packs can overheat, posing a risk of the products smoking, catching fire and/or exploding.

There have been more than 20 reports of hoverboards with GLW battery packs overheating, including some reports of smoke or fire. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the removable GLW battery packs installed in UL-Listed Hovertrax 2.0 brand self-balancing scooters/hoverboards manufactured between September 2016, and August 2017. The battery packs were certified as compliant with ANSI/UL Standard 2271 by UL.

Hovertrax hoverboards have two wheels at either end of articulated dual platforms and are powered by GLW battery packs.

The battery packs have the name GLW written in large letters on the packs themselves, and serial numbers beginning with GLW, which is printed on a white sticker on the top of the battery pack, below the bar code. Hovertrax 2.0 is printed on the front of the hoverboard.

The hoverboards were sold in black, black monochrome, blue, green, red, red monochrome, white, rose gold, camouflage, ocean blue, purple, and three multicolor patterns called Spectrum, Galaxy and Carbon.

The hoverboards, manufactured in China, were sold at Walmart, Target, Toys R Us and other stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com, Amazon.com and other websites from September 2016, through 2018, for about $460.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled self-balancing scooters/hoverboards and contact Razor for instructions on how to obtain a prepaid shipping carton to send the GLW battery pack back to Razor, and to receive a free replacement battery pack.

Consumers may contact Razor toll-free at (866) 467-2967 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday, or online at https://razor.com/product-recall-notifications-glw-battery-08252021/ for more information.

LG Energy Solution Michigan of Holland, Mich., is recalling about 10,000 LG Chem “RESU10H” Lithium-Ion Residential Energy Storage System Batteries.

The batteries can overheat, posing a risk of fire and emission of harmful smoke.

The firm has received five reports of the lithium storage batteries smoking and catching fire, resulting in property damage and one injury.

This recall involves LG Chem Model RESU 10H lithium-ion storage batteries that were installed as part of a residential energy solar panel system.

The recalled batteries, which allow owners to capture and store energy from the solar panels, are wall mounted, measure about 29 by 36 by 8 inches, and weigh roughly 220 pounds.

The LG logo is located on the top left side of the front panel. The serial number of the recalled product begins with R15563P3 and is located behind the access door of the RESU home battery.

The batteries, manufactured in Korea, were sold at various distributors of solar energy storage systems nationwide, including, but not limited to Sunrun, AEE Solar, Baywa, CED, Krannich, Independent Electric Supply, and Inter Island Solar Supply from January 2017, through April 2019, for about $8,000.

What to do

Consumers should immediately contact LG Energy Solution Michigan to schedule a free replacement.

The company will arrange for modifications to recalled batteries that are connected online to reduce the risk of overheating until they can be replaced with new batteries.

LG Energy Solution Michigan, its distributors, and its installers also are attempting to contact owners directly.

Consumers may contact LG Energy Solution Michigan toll-free at (888)737-8104 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at RESUservice@lgensol.com, or online at www.lgessbattery.com/us and click on “Battery Recall: Free Replacement Campaign” for more information

Rite Aid of Camp Hill, Pa., is recalling about 9,780 rechargeable handheld fans.

The fan’s lithium ion battery can overheat while charging, posing a fire hazard.

The firm has received two consumer reports of the rechargeable handheld fans overheating and emitting smoke. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves portable rechargeable handheld fans sold in blue, pink and purple colors.

The fans have a one touch button with three speeds and weigh about 8.8 oz.

The item number 9050103 can be found on the product box and on a sticker on the backside of the fan itself.

The fans, manufactured in Chin a, were sold at Rite Aid stores nationwide from April through June 2021, for about $10.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled rechargeable handheld fans and contact Rite Aid for a full refund.

Consumers may contact Rite Aid at (800) 748-3243 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET), or online at www.riteaid.com and click on “Customer Care” at the bottom of the page and then “Product Recalls” for more information.

American Outdoor Brands of Columbia, Mo., is recalling about 13,800 Caldwell E-Max Pro BT Earmuffs with rechargeable lithium battery packs sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The soldering within the lithium-battery pack housing can allow the wiring to detach and cause the unit to overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves the Caldwell rechargeable lithium-battery pack (SKU No. 1108859) that was included with black E-Max® Pro BT Earmuffs (SKU No. 1099596), which provide hearing protection while shooting firearms.

The rechargeable lithium-battery pack is housed in one of the earmuffs. The battery pack is 3.7 V and has a gray exterior. It measures 1.25 inches x 1.5 inches.

The name Caldwell is on the exterior of the battery pack. The earmuffs also can operate with three AAA alkaline batteries.

The earmuffs, manufactured in China, were sold at Midway USA, Bass Pro Shops and Davidsons stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com in April and May 2021, for about $100 for the earmuffs.

What to do

Consumers should immediately remove the recalled lithium-battery pack from the earmuffs and contact American Outdoor Brands for disposal instructions in accordance with local laws and to receive free replacement alkaline batteries, including shipping.

Consumers may contact American Outdoor Brands toll-free at (877) 416-5167 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CT) on Fridays, by email at support@caldwellshooting.com, or online at www.caldwellshooting.com/recall or www.caldwellshooting.com and click on the “Recall” link under the “Customer Service” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Victory Innovations of Twinsburg, Ohio, is recalling about 432,000 Victory Innovations and Protexus Electrostatic Sprayers sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The sprayer’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack can overheat and melt, posing a risk of the product catching fire and/or exploding.

The firm has received 37 reports of the lithium-ion battery pack overheating, catching fire or exploding, some of which resulted in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Victory Innovations and Protexus-branded cordless handheld and backpack electrostatic sprayers used to disinfect surfaces.

They come with a nozzle, nozzle wrench, tank, lithium-ion battery pack and a battery pack charger. The Victory Innovations cordless sprayers have a green and white exterior. The Victory Innovations logo appears on the front or the side of the green and white sprayers and model VP-20A or VP-20B appears on the battery pack.

The Protexus logo appears on the front or the side of the black and white sprayers and model PX20A or PX20B appears on the battery back. Battery packs on recalled units have visible screw heads and a case with no parting lines.

The spayers, manufactured in China, were sold at chemical and cleaning supply distributors nationwide and online at Amazon.com, SupplyWorks.com (Home Depot Pro Institutional) and Staples.com from January 2016, through November 2020, for between $100 and $150.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled sprayers, remove the battery pack and dispose of it in accordance with local laws for disposal of lithium-ion batteries, and contact Victory Innovations for a free replacement battery pack, including shipping.

Consumers may contact Victory Innovations toll-free at (888) 674-2482 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET), by email at ES-Sprayerbatteryrecall@stericycle.com or online at https://www.es-sprayerbatteryrecall.expertinquiry.com/ for more information.

Massimo Motor Sports of Garland, Texas, is recalling about 12,630 massage guns.

The lithium-ion battery system can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

The firm has received three reports of fires with the recalled massage guns that resulted in over $15,000 in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves all models of the Massimo Percussion Massage Gun.

The massage guns have 20 speed levels and came with six massage heads and a built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery. They were sold in black, silver, gold, and blue; all were model number EM003.

Model numbers can be found on the Product information card in the package.

The massage guns, manufactured in China, were sold exclusively online at Costco.com from April 2020, through May 2020, for about $60.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled massage guns and contact Massimo for a full refund.

Consumers may contact Massimo Motor Sports toll-free at (877) 881-6376 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday, or online at www.massimomotor.com and click on “Product Recall” at the top of the page for more information.

LG Energy Solution Michigan of Holland, Mich., is recalling about 1,815LG Chem “RESU 10H” Lithium-Ion Residential Energy Storage Systems.

The home batteries can overheat, posing a risk of fire and emission of harmful smoke.

The firm has received five reports of fires resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the LG Chem Model RESU 10H lithium-ion storage battery that is installed as part of a residential energy solar panel system.

The recalled battery allows owners to capture and store energy from the solar panels.

The batteries are wall mounted and measure 29.30 x 35.70 x 8.10 inches and weigh roughly 220 pounds.

The LG Chem logo is located on the top left side of the front panel. The serial number of the recalled product begins with R15563P3SSEG and is located behind the access door of the RESU 10H (Type-R) home battery.

The batteries, manufactured in Korea, were sold at various distributors of solar energy storage systems nationwide, including, but not limited to Sunrun, AEE Solar, Baywa, CED, Krannich, Independent Electric Supply, and Inter Island Solar Supply, from January 2017, through March 2019, for about $8,000.

What to do

Consumers should immediately contact LG Energy Solution Michigan to schedule a free replacement. LG Energy Solution Michigan, its distributors and its installers also are attempting to contact all owners directly to arrange for modifications to the recalled batteries to reduce the risk of overheating until they can be replaced with new batteries.

Consumers may contact LG Energy Solution Michigan toll-free at (866) 263-0301 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at RESUservice@lgensol.com, or online at www.lgessbattery.com/us for more information.