Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
Power IT

Anker Recalls Over 1.1 Million Power Banks Due To Fire and Burn Risks (theverge.com) 36

Anker has issued a recall for its PowerCore 10000 power bank (model A1263) due to a "potential issue with the lithium-ion battery" that could pose a fire safety risk. An anonymous reader adds: The company has received 19 reports of fires and explosions that have caused minor burn injuries and resulted in property damage totaling over $60,700, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC).

The recall covers about 1,158,000 units that were sold online through Amazon, Newegg, and eBay between June 2016 and December 2022. The affected batteries can be identified by the Anker logo engraved on the side with the model number A1263 printed on the bottom edge. However, Anker is only recalling units sold in the US with qualifying serial numbers. To check if yours is included, you'll need to visit Anker's website.

Anker Recalls Over 1.1 Million Power Banks Due To Fire and Burn Risks

Comments Filter:
  • Phew (Score:4, Funny)

    by blastard ( 816262 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @01:01PM (#65445117)

    Good thing I've got some No Name battery banks not affected by this recall.

    • by drnb ( 2434720 )

      Good thing I've got some No Name battery banks not affected by this recall.

      My no-name power bank was a free gift bundled with something else I purchased. I'm sure it's OK too. :-)

  • I have an Anker Powercore 10400 that looks just like that. Hopefully whatever the problem is doesn't extend to that one as well....
    • I guess I'd better figure out where I stashed mine and check this out!

    • Mine is a Powercore 10000, but it is model A1229 which is not covered in this recall. No idea where it is at the moment but Amazon can tell me what I ordered.

  • Recall form is bogus (Score:4, Informative)

    by BetterSense ( 1398915 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @01:30PM (#65445199)
    I went through the whole recall claim process and then at the end when I tried to submit it, it say my serial number had already been claimed. There is no recourse or any other way to submit.

    It's probably just completely bogus.
    • or your bank got made outside the identified batch of serials.

      signed, ISO-compliant QA tech

    • It's probably just completely bogus.

      Reach out to customer service, my own personal experience with Anker is that they have been absolutely excellent in that department. They even replaced a charger of mine which failed 3 weeks out of warranty.

    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      https://www.reddit.com/r/anker... [reddit.com] shows other claimers having the same issue.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Don't consumer laws help? In the UK if Anker won't help you can just return it to where you bought it from. Defects in design or from the factory are grounds for a return/replacement, regardless of age. You would have to prove that the fault was always there, but fortunately Anker did that for you by issuing a recall.

  • These are past warranty, and in some cases the pack is nearly a decade old.

    Zero reason for a recall that I see and I am pretty strict when it comes to lithium batteries.

    • by Zocalo ( 252965 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @02:16PM (#65445321) Homepage
      Because it's good PR, for once, as opposed to the expected "Oh, sorry, but you're out of warranty and therefore SoL"? It's basically admitting that yes, they (or one of their component suppliers) screwed up, but that they are going to make good and give you either a credit voucher to buy something else from them or an upgraded model of the product. That some of the these are 10 years old and likely long since lost or discarded means that this is going to cost a lot less than the total ~$30m value of the banks being recalled, which could be a hell of a lot less if they were to get sued, especially in the US, gives them an out on any future issues ("they were recalled, why were you still using it?"), and is probably covered by insurance anyway.
    • These are past warranty, and in some cases the pack is nearly a decade old.

      Zero reason for a recall that I see and I am pretty strict when it comes to lithium batteries.

      Are you of the delusional that a "warranty period" lets the company off the hook for creating a product that will spontaneously burst into fire?

      • by Khyber ( 864651 )

        Perhaps you idiots should make yourselves aware of the dangers of the products which you buy before you whine about them doing things THEY DO BY RAW FUCKING NATURE.

        Go back to school and learn about fucking lithium chemistry.

    • by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <slashdot&worf,net> on Thursday June 12, 2025 @03:53PM (#65445631)

      Recalls are safety issues, and it doesn't matter if the product is out of warranty or not - if the product is still out there and a safety issue a recall is issued.

      Though rare, they can be issued long after a product has be obsoleted on the market if they still pose a safety hazard. Cars can have recalls years after discontinuation if some issue comes up later on.

      • by mjwx ( 966435 )

        Recalls are safety issues, and it doesn't matter if the product is out of warranty or not - if the product is still out there and a safety issue a recall is issued.

        Though rare, they can be issued long after a product has be obsoleted on the market if they still pose a safety hazard. Cars can have recalls years after discontinuation if some issue comes up later on.

        Yep, I had a 2004 Honda Integra, the Integra shares it's DNA with the Honda Civic (well it's basically a Civic Type-R with a different body). In 2012 there was a single failure of a brake master cylinder in one Civic somewhere in the world which Honda tracked back to a defect. They replaced every brake master cylinder in every Civic and Integra affected years after both models went out of production and warranty (2007 for end of production).

    • End of warranty does not end liability.

  • Product Testing? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by crunchygranola ( 1954152 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @02:41PM (#65445395)

    Was Mossad involved in product testing?

  • Right, letâ(TM)s recall every car model where it wasnâ(TM)t clear how a crash occurred, even if just 19 out of a million were impacted.

    FFS.

    • Right, letâ(TM)s recall every car model where it wasnâ(TM)t clear how a crash occurred

      You're assuming it wasn't clear. They are recalling a subset of devices in a particular model group and are checking serial numbers in the process. They know which ones are at risk.

      If they don't do this, and someone gets injured they face FUCK YOU levels of lawsuits and liability.

  • Oh my goodness Iâ(TM)m scared.

    • by allo ( 1728082 )

      Famous last words.

    • Oh my goodness Iâ(TM)m scared.

      Dumb take. You're comment comes across as someone both unconcerned that they have a faulty product subject to a free recall, while also being stupid enough to not take up an offer for a new replacement of a potentially 3-7 year old device. Dumb take.

      Yeah I said dumb take twice because your post is stupid for two reasons. Just thought I'd point that out in case you didn't understand my point.

  • I was notified by Amazon today via Email. And yep, I still have it. Yep, it is the exact match, same model. It is very rarely used, so it is practically new. I bought it 2020-10-14.

    Went through all the mess of entering a very long, alpha-numeric, tiny, dark grey on black print serial number using a bright light and magnifier. It came back and said my exact unit is not part of the recall batch and is safe to continue using.

    I do appreciate the warning and that Anker stands behind their products like thi

  • ...... after going through the process to submit the claim, I'm told the compensation is a $30 Anker gift card redeemable on their website or a replacement battery pack that won't ship until at least September! Better than nothing, but I'm in need of a pack to take on travel next week. FWIW, don't try to submit the claim on a mobile browser without using the desktop version. There is a pop-up at the end you won't see on Chrome otherwise.

The nation that controls magnetism controls the universe. -- Chester Gould/Dick Tracy

Working...