">
Over 1 Million Anker Power Banks Recalled Amid Reports of “Fires and Explosions”
Remember the exploding Samsung Galaxy 7 fiasco of 2016? A similar problem now appears to be plaguing some older Anker power banks. The portable charge units have long been popular among backpackers as a means to keep phones topped up during extended stints in the backcountry. But now, a defect in the lithium battery of some units is causing them to overheat and catch fire.
Anker has issued a recall for over a million of its PowerCore 10000 mAh power banks sold between 2016 and 2022 following about 19 reports of fires and explosions, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The incidents reportedly resulted in two minor burns and property damage totaling over $60,700 collectively.
“We are initiating a recall program out of an abundance of caution,” Anker says on its recall webpage. “We urge all US customers … to check if their unit is included in this recall.” The recall only applies to banks of model number A1263 sold during this time, and only for certain serial numbers.
What You Need To Know About the Anker Power Bank Recall
You can use Anker’s serial number verification tool to confirm whether your power bank is part of the recall. If it is, you should immediately stop using it and contact Anker for instructions to receive a free replacement. You’ll need to send them a photo of the recalled power bank containing certain information, as well as proof of proper disposal.
Contact Anker toll-free at 800-988-7973 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, email at [email protected], or online at https://support.anker.com/s/emailcontactus. A Live Chat function is also available at https://support.anker.com/s/contact-us, or go to https://www.anker.com/product-recalls or www.anker.com and click on “Product Recalls” at the top of the page for more information.
Note that recalled power banks cannot be thrown away, recycled, or left in a battery recycling box. You’ll need to contact your municipality for guidance on how to legally and safely dispose of it.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!
To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.
Comments 4
Mine is one of the units affected and I got an email from Amazon as well. However, the return process is glitchy to the point of not working, at least not for me. I’ve dutifully filled in the online form, provided the required photos and order information, and tried to submit the form. When I click on the “Confirm” button, however, the form suddenly changes my address from one city and zip code to another, incorrect one. I’ve tried contacting Anker through their website’s “Contact Us” function to explain what’s happening, but got an obvious bot-generated response that regurgitates instructions for return procedures instead of dealing with the errors in those procedures.
This is beyond frustrating, and so I’m choosing this forum to air my problems in hopes that Anker may be monitoring and fix the situation. If not, at least others may be alerted to the problems with the recall. Until then, since my unit hasn’t exploded or caught fire in the last six years I’ve owned it, I’ll continue to risk using it.
huh? Anker contact us has a phone number. took 3 seconds to google it.
wouldn’t you rather spend 10-15 mins on the phone (you can do something else around the house while on hold on speaker…) to approach resolution? seems better than risking fire injury/damage to yourself and others. Recall isnt a fluke. 19 reported cases indicates many others likely unreported, and despite the # of units out there, 19+ is a decent number. why risk on a $50 product…
aside from fact that Kelly also already included the phone number above…
Thanks for posting your experience. I wonder what the defect is. I have a similar Anker bank, unaffected by the recall. Store it in a fireproof box on the heap of retired cell phones?