Amazon is recalling a quarter-million battery chargers for melting and causing chemical burns
- Amazon is recalling 260,000 AmazonBasics-branded external power banks.
- There have been 53 reported cases of the devices getting too hot and melting, causing chemical burns and prompting a recall.
- The devices were sold between December 2014 and July 2017, and owners should receive an email explaining how to get a refund.
Amazon is feeling the heat.
The company has voluntarily recalled six models of its AmazonBasics-branded external power banks after they were found to have a flaw that could potentially cause them to overheat. There have been 53 reports of this happening, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This heat could be so extreme that it could potentially ignite and melt the devices. One consumer report says the device's battery acid caused chemical burns, and there have also been four reports of property damage from the fire and smoke.
The models have a capacity of 2,000 maH to 16,100 maH. They're primarily used as a portable power source for electronics like mobile phones and tablets, when you need extra power but don't have an outlet at hand. The recall applies to power banks that were sold on Amazon.com, at AmazonBooks stores, and at Amazon pop-up stores between December 2014 and July 2017.
The devices cost between $9 and $40 and were manufactured by Guoguang Electric in China.
Amazon has already contacted all known owners and purchasers of the products, which include ID numbers B00LRK8EVO, B00LRK8HJ8, B00LRK8I7O, B00LRK8IV0, B00LRK8JDC, and B00ZQ4JQAA.
For those who haven't been contacted yet do own the devices, Amazon has created a recall page.