At the end of the year, a number of sellers' products went bankrupt

In the year-end sprint to prepare for a beautiful end to 2024, a group of Chinese sellers were "targeted" by relevant departments of the US market, and their products continued to fail, and Anker was not spared.

Nearly 490,000 products were recalled by Shenzhen sellers

On December 19, Charmast, a popular power bank brand on Amazon, was notified by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ( CPSC) to recall 488,000 products with the recall number 25-072 .

The specific product being recalled is Charmast's power bank model W1056.

The CPSC said the lithium-ion batteries in the recalled power banks may overheat and catch fire, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers . As of the time of the recall notice, Charmast has received 44 reports of the recalled power banks swelling, catching fire, melting, overheating or smoking, including four reports of consumers being burned or blistered.

From December 2018 to September 2024, the above products were sold on Amazon at a price of US$14-25, and nearly 490,000 units have been sold to date.

According to information, Charmast is a brand of Shenzhen Chaomai Technology Co., Ltd. The company was only established in 2017, but its products soon appeared on the BS list of the power bank category on Amazon's US site, and often ranked in the top three of the list.

As of the time of writing, Charmast still has several products on the above BS list, with the highest ranking being sixth. According to its official website, Charmast's products have reached more than 3.8 million users worldwide.

This year, Charmast's new product C10 series was launched on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, and eventually completed the crowdfunding with an amount that exceeded the target by 3572% .

Currently, the Charmast power bank model W1056 has been removed from Amazon, and Charmast also announced this news on its official website.

The CPSC calls on consumers to stop using the power bank and dispose of the lithium-ion batteries in it according to local and state ordinances and the procedures established by the city's recycling center for damaged/defective/recalled lithium batteries. Do not throw them into the trash or the old battery recycling bins at retail stores. Charmast is required to refund consumers who meet the disposal procedures.

In fact, recall notices for energy storage products are not uncommon. Not long ago, the best-selling outdoor product Quad Lock power bank was recalled, and even Anker is no exception.

Anker products recalled again

On December 5, Anker Products' sub-brand products Soundcore (A3102) and PowerConf Bluetooth (A3302) speakers were recalled with the recall number 25-056.

Specifically, this recall involves lithium-ion battery packs in Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speakers sold exclusively on Amazon in 2023, including lithium-ion battery packs in Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speakers with model numbers A3102016, A3302011, and A3302031 .

The reason for the recall is the same as the above-mentioned Charmast W1056, that is, the lithium-ion battery may overheat and cause a fire hazard.

As of the time the recall was issued, Anker had received 33 reports of incidents involving overheating of the lithium-ion battery in the speaker, some of which involved smoke and small fires, including one minor burn related to an overheating device.

From March 2023 to October 2023, the product in question was sold exclusively online on Amazon at a price ranging from US$28 to US$130. Approximately 69,000 units were sold in the United States and approximately 9,764 units were sold in Canada .

Consumers who have purchased Anker's speaker products can identify whether it is a recalled product on Anker's official website through the "SN code" visible on the bottom of the Bluetooth speaker.

When the recall notice was issued, Anker also released instructions and solutions on Soundcore's official brand website.

Anker said that due to problems with manufacturing conditions, a small number of Soundcore speakers manufactured in March and April 2023 may have battery issues, resulting in potential fire safety risks .

After reporting the issue to the CPSC, out of an abundance of caution, Anker gradually contacted customers who purchased the product between March 1, 2023 and June 6, 2024 to initiate the recall plan.

Anker advises consumers to check the model number on the bottom of the soundcore speaker they purchased to confirm, and then check whether it is within the recall range based on the serial number.

CPSC calls on consumers to immediately stop using the recalled products and turn off the external power supply. After verifying the SN code of the speaker and filling in the product recall information, Anker will send a new replacement battery.

This year alone, Anker has recalled several products related to energy storage.

For example , in October, Anker recalled power banks with models A1642, A1647, and A1652 , of which about 2,100 had been sold. At the same time, on the manufacturing side, Anker had already recalled 4,501 products with hidden dangers that had already been produced .

In March, about 5,480 Anker models A17B0, A17A0, A17A1, and A17A2 were sold and were also recalled.

It can be seen that the requirements for energy storage products are very strict and the frequency of recalls is very high.

Multiple sellers’ energy storage products fall into traps

On December 12, the battery chargers of HTRC, a brand under the auto parts seller Shenzhen Beach Technology Co., Ltd. , were recalled by the CPSC with the recall number 25-066.

"The charger may ignite or cause a connected battery to ignite, creating a fire and burn hazard and risk of serious injury and death," which is why the CPSC believes it should be recalled.

As of the time of reporting to the CPSC, the brand had received 32 reports of fires and other thermal incidents, including 5 reports of major property damage and 1 report of injury.

The recall involves HTRC C240 ​​battery chargers used to charge lithium-ion batteries, numbered 1 and 2.

Since its launch in 2017, until June 2024, the product has sold about 34,600 units at a price ranging from US$65 to US$290 on AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, Banggood.com, RCGoing.com and the brand's official website .

CPSC has called on consumers to stop using the products and contact HTRC to obtain a refund.

Also because "lithium-ion batteries may overheat, posing a risk of fire and burns," on December 19, products under China's first power tool stock and Nanjing tool giant Quanfeng Holdings were recalled with the recall number 25-071.

As of the recall, Chervon Holdings' SKIL 40V 5.0 Ah lithium-ion batteries have received 100 reports of thermal incidents involving batteries, including overheating, melting, smoking and fire, including 8 reports of minor burns and/or smoke inhalation and 49 reports of related property damage.

From October 2019 to December 2024, the above-mentioned products were sold in the United States at a price of US$170 (battery sold separately) and approximately US$400 (combination kit with lawn mower) through online platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, and multiple offline stores in the United States, with a total of approximately 63,000 units sold , and approximately 359 units sold in Canada .

The specific recall this time is for batteries produced before May 1, 2021. The recalled batteries are sold individually or in combination with the model BY8708-00, but only the batteries are recalled . The specific manufacturing date codes are as follows ↓

CPSC calls on consumers to stop using the product, contact Chervon to obtain a free replacement battery or refund, and dispose of the product as required by the brand.

In fact, it is not easy for energy storage-related products to be exported overseas. Various regulations are strict and "policy systems are full of instability," said a practitioner. The recall of local regulatory authorities such as CPSC also pointed out that even if the product has been sold, it will still face recall and refund issues, "lithium batteries are difficult to export overseas."

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