Anker has announced a recall on six of its power banks “out of an abundance of caution” due to potential issues with the battery cells in these products. Here’s how to see if your battery is affected and get a gift card for something new.
Power banks are generally considered safe, but it’s not particularly uncommon, unfortunately, for the lithium-ion battery cells to be defective. That’s why it’s generally a good idea to purchase from reputable names, such as Anker, but even big brands can run into problems.
Anker is currently running recalls on six of its power banks due to potential risks with the lithium-ion battery cells. Anker says that the chance of issue is “minimal,” but that affected power banks should be disposed of in an “abundance of caution.” The company explains that a deeper dive into its quality assurance revealed issues with a single battery vendor.
Anker explains:
Earlier this year, Anker implemented a series of enhanced quality assurance protocols designed to detect manufacturing issues earlier in the production cycle. These safeguards—including expanded component-level audits and supplier testing—helped us identify a potential issue with common, lithium-ion battery cells from a single vendor.
While the likelihood of malfunction is considered minimal, out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to initiate a voluntary global recall of several Anker power bank models. We have formally notified and are coordinating with regulatory authorities in all regions to ensure the recall is conducted in compliance with all applicable local guidelines.
The first of these recalls was announced earlier this month with the Anker PowerCore 10000, model number A1263. Anker explicitly says that a problem with this power bank can lead to “melting of plastic components, smoke, and fire hazards” due to the battery overheating.
Less pressing are the latest additions to the list.
Anker is also issuing a recall on five other power banks, varying in design and capacity. The company doesn’t directly warn of any specific dangers here, but any risk should still be dealt with.
The full list of affected power banks includes:
- Anker PowerCore 10000 — Model A1263
- Anker Power Bank (10K, 22.5W) — Model A1257
- Anker Power Bank (20,000mAh, 22.5W, Built-In USB-C Cable) — Model A1647
- Anker MagGo Power Bank (10,000mAh, 7.5W) — Model A1652
- Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C and Lightning Cable) — Model A1681
- Anker Zolo Power Bank (20K, 30W, Built-In USB-C Cable) — Model A1689
Anker will be compensating users for these power banks, either in the form of a replace or an Anker.com gift card. To complete the recall you’ll need to fill out a form on Anker’s website — here for A1263 and here for all others — and mark “recall” on the power bank with your contact information before ultimately disposing of the existing product. Anker notes that you’ll need to find a facility that can dispose of lithium-ion batteries, as your general trash collection cannot.
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