“The world’s N0 1 charging brand,” is “voluntarily” recalling one of its biggest selling chargers it was announced because of its connection with 19 incidents reported, including minor burns and over $60,000 in property damage in the United States, officials from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Wednesday.
According to the release, Anker Innovations is voluntarily recalling approximately 1.15 million of its PowerCore 10000 portable chargers (Model A1263) in the U.S. due to a risk of overheating, melting, smoke, and fire.
Key details:
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Model: PowerCore 10000 (A1263)
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Serial numbers: Specific SNs listed on Anker’s recall page
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Sold between: June 1, 2016 – December 31, 2022
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Where: Amazon, eBay, Newegg & Anker’s own site
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Price range: ~$27
Third District Fire Chief Howard McGoldrick explained for Lower Bucks Source the inherent risks and dangers with using this kind of present day technology
“These lithium-ion power banks are very capable of going into thermal runaway, where the battery overheats and ignites. These power banks are made up of several individual cells wired together. The individual cells have a burst disk and small pin holes in the end caps which function as a pressure relief device. When the cell heats up, it builds up internal pressure to the point of bursting that disk. The hot gasses escape through the pin holes under very high pressure. These high pressure gasses are flammable & if ignited create a pin point jet of fire escaping under pressure. Hot enough to burn through a fire hose.”
McGoldrick warned proper disposal of the portable charger can also be a challenging hazzard.
“It’s not uncommon for these individual cells to be launched away from the battery pack due to the high pressure release. Anything in front of or near the jet will burn rapidly. If one of the disks fails it will often burst the cell and cause it to launch great distances while on fire, rapidly spreading fire. These also release very high volumes of toxic gasses that can fill a room to lethal levels.My advice would be to get rid of the device as soon as possible following the procedures implemented by consumer safety officials.
The recalled chargers were sold online between June 2016 and December 2022 for about $27. Retailers included Anker’s website, Amazon, eBay and Newegg.
Customers who have the affected model are advised to stop using it immediately.
Anker is offering free replacements, but consumers must first submit a photo of their power bank showing the model number, serial number, their name, the date, and the word “recalled” written on the product.
Both Anker and the CPSC emphasized that these devices should not be disposed of in regular trash or curbside recycling due to the fire risk from lithium-ion batteries.
Instead, users should follow local disposal guidelines for electronics or hazardous materials. On Saturday June 28 Bucks County is hosting a Household Hazardous Waste Event at Central Bucks High School on Folly Road, which would be the perfect place to dispose the device if you have one.
1. STOP USING IMMEDIATELY
If you own an A1263 or are unsure, stop using it NOW. Even if it seems fine, don’t charge or store it with other items—overheating can happen unexpectedly
2. VERIFY YOUR DEVICE
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Check the model number and serial number (SN) on the bottom of the charger
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Visit Anker’s recall site to see if your SN is included
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You’ll need to upload a photo of the device labelled “recalled,” showing model/SN, your name, and date
3. REQUEST A REMEDY
Once verified, you can opt for:
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A free replacement charger
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Or a $30 gift card (roughly the price you paid)
McGoldrick posted a short on YouTube of a Lithium battery in thermal runaway mode from a dwelling fire in Bristol Borough in 202 captured on Helmet cam audio.
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