Costco has ordered an emergency recall of 567,000 portable chargers due to the risk of them overheating and causing fires.
The three models of myCharge POWER HUB all-in-one 10,000mAh portable charger are: Consumer Product Safety CommissionAn independent federal agency.
The recall of the products, which are sold at Costco for $40 each, was initiated after it was discovered that the charger was overheating while charging.
The charger is manufactured in China and imported into the U.S. by a company called RFA Brands LLC, based in Birmingham, Michigan.
RFA Brands LLC and Costco were not immediately available for comment.
The commission said it had received 120 reports from consumers who said their chargers overheated after purchasing them.
In two cases, the chargers caught fire and the fire spread throughout the homes, resulting in property damage totaling approximately $165,000.
“Costco received 115 returns of portable chargers indicating they melted, expanded, smoked, caught fire, burned, exploded or sparked,” the commission said.
No injuries were reported.
Customers who have purchased myCharge: Company Recall Page Request a replacement.
Anyone who has purchased this item is being urged not to throw it in the trash, and to refrain from putting it in the recycling bin.
“These potentially hazardous batteries need to be handled differently than other batteries,” the committee said.
According to the commission, the batteries “should be disposed of in accordance with local and state regulations, following procedures established by municipal recycling centers for damaged/defective/recalled lithium batteries.”
The recalled chargers were sold at major retailers between January 2022 and November last year.
The models in question have date codes ending in 21 and 22, and there are four models that end in 23 (0123, 0923, 1523, 1723).
