If you bought a cheap Anker speaker on Amazon last year, you might want to check its serial code, as almost 70,000 are being recalled in America and almost 10,000 in Canada. As originally reported by The Verge, Anker is recalling several models of Soundcore and Powerconf speakers, due to their lithium-ion batteries being faulty.
In the full report, it says "The firm has received 33 reports of incidents involving the lithium-ion batteries in the speakers overheating, some of those involving incidents of smoking and small fires, including one minor burn injury in connection with an overheating unit."
Under a fast-track recall, 69,000 units are being returned in the US and 9,674 have been recalled in Canada. If you want to know if your speaker is at risk of catching fire, the following models are being recalled: A3102016, A3302011, and A3302031.
To check your speaker, as per the Anker page, locate the serial number at the bottom of your device and plug it into the recall form to find out if it's been affected. If your speaker is defective, switch it off immediately and contact Anker customer service.
Anker says you will be given a full refund and informed on how to dispose of your device safely and effectively.
Interestingly, the Anker models affected by this recall were sold exclusively on Amazon in 2023 and, according to The Verge, "cost between $28 and $130."
This is not the first time Anker has had to recall a product. In fact, it's not even the first time in the last few months, with the electronic brand having to recall over 2000 Anker power banks, due to fire and burn hazards from lithium-ion batteries earlier this year. The recall came after 28 reports of batteries overheating or exploding, with two injuries reported.
What makes this particular recall interesting is the sheer size of it, and how big a brand Anker is. Almost 80,000 total units are quite a lot to recall in one sitting, though being sold exclusively on Amazon presumably makes it quite easy to track.
Hopefully, Amazon's huge database of orders can stop any more injuries from these speakers.
A quick flick through the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission's recent recalls shows quite a few products being recalled due to battery issues and slowly degrading batteries are one of the most prominent issues with old devices. From phones to GameBoys, if something has gone wrong with an old electronic device, there's a good chance the battery may be at fault.
