- The Yoto Mini children's speaker is being recalled again due to a fire risk
- The speaker was initially deemed a fire risk back in April
- Parents should take the speaker away from children and stop using it
- You should contact Yoto for a free battery replacement kit even if you've already received the smart cable from the April 2024 recall
Another day, another overheating audio product – only for this particular speaker designed for children, it's second time unlucky.
The Yoto Mini speaker hasn't had a good year. More than 250,000 of them were recalled back in April owing to overheating batteries – at least, the cable was recalled and replaced. And it seems that wasn't enough.
The overheating issue cited is the same on both occasions – both the most recent product recall and the April recall issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) state: "the speaker’s lithium-ion battery can overheat and catch fire, posing burn and fire hazards to consumers".
This time, the CPSC's report directs owners to "immediately stop using the recalled speakers, take them away from children and contact Yoto to receive a free battery replacement kit. Consumers should request the battery replacement kit even if they already received the smart cable in the April 2024 recall."
Owners are also asked to dispose of those old lithium-ion batteries in accordance with local and state regulations, not in the trash.
Too hot to handle – apply for a Yoto Mini battery replacement kit now
The latest December 11 report states that Yoto has now received a total of nine reports from U.S. consumers (up from seven in April) and three from a UK consumer of the speaker "overheating or melting", although thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
According to the CPSC's missive, about 251,165 Yoto Mini units were sold (in addition, about 18,932 were sold in Canada) between November 2021 and April 2024. The speakers are intended for children ages three to 12, are operated by use of Yoto cards and are designed to play audiobooks, music, radio and podcasts. They were available from November 2021 through April 2024 and cost about $70, with the SKU number PRPLXX00860. Again, if you have one, be sure to stop using it, and request a free battery replacement kit from Yoto.
Yoto has issued a statement telling customers "Please be assured this does not mean you have to send your Yoto Mini (2021-2023) back. Instead, the Battery Replacement Kit uses the same battery as in Yoto Mini (2024 Edition) and will restore your Yoto Mini with a brand new battery.… Yoto Mini (2024 edition) is not affected by this issue as it contains a battery from a different supplier."
The news comes just days after Anker recalled nearly 80,000 Bluetooth speakers due to potentially hazardous overheating batteries – and the two incidents are not isolated cases. On November 20, Audio-Technica had to alert buyers that some batches of its affordable 2024 earbuds had an overheating case and on November 28, Belkin also issued a recall notice for its BoostCharge Pro (model number BPD005) power bank.
One thing's for sure: whoever can invent and deliver to the mass-market a safer and more planet-friendly portable power alternative to lithium-ion batteries – ideally one that doesn't require as much surface space as the otherwise-great Powerfoyle – will do very well indeed.
