Product recalls in the EU

• Germany has recalled a batch of portable power supplies. The reason is that the cell of the portable power supply is faulty and there is no temperature protection in parallel. This can cause the battery to overheat, leading to burns or a fire. This product does not comply with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive and the European standards EN 62040-1, EN 61000-6 and EN 62133-2.
• France has recalled a batch of button lithium batteries. The reason is that the packaging of the button battery can be easily opened. A child may touch the battery and put it in his mouth, causing suffocation. Batteries can also cause damage to the digestive tract if swallowed. This product does not comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive and the European standard EN 60086-4.
• France has recalled a batch of “MUVI” electric motorcycles produced in 2016-2018. The reason is that the safety device, which automatically stops charging the battery after it is fully charged, is not functional enough and could cause a fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
• Sweden has recalled a batch of neck fans and bluetooth headsets. The reasons is that the solder on the PCB, the solder lead concentration at the battery connection and the DEHP, DBP and SCCP in the cable exceed the standard, which is harmful to health. This does not comply with the requirements of the EU Directive (RoHS 2 Directive) on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, nor does it comply with the requirements of the POP (Persistent Organic Pollutants) regulation.
• Germany has recalled BMW iX3 electric vehicles with production dates from July 10 to July 12, 2019. The reason is that the cell may cause the internal short-circuit of the battery module due to the leakage of the electrolyte, which leads to the thermal overload in the battery, resulting in the risk of fire. The vehicle does not comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.

Product recalls in the US

• The US CPSP has recalled pool cleaning robots from Aiper Elite Pro GS100 made by Shenzhen Aiper Intelligent Co., Ltd. The reason for the recall is that when the charging cable is plugged into the device without an adapter or plugged into the charging port on the machine, the battery can overheat and short circuit, causing burns and fire hazards. There have been 17 reports of equipment overheating.
• Costco has recalled mobile power supplies from Ubio Labs because of overheating and catching fire on a commercial flight.
• Gree has recalled 1.56 million dehumidifiers manufactured between January 2011 and February 2014 because they could overheat, smoke and catch fire, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. At present, Gree has received recalls of dehumidifiers that caused at least 23 fires and 688 overheating incidents.

• Philips’ personal health division has recalled Philips’ avent digital video baby monitors because the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in them can overheat during charging, posing a risk of burns and property damage.

• The US CPSC has recalled VRURC power banks made in China due to fires on commercial flights.

Summary

In the recent product recalls, the battery safety of the power bank is still worth focusing on. In China, CCC has been implemented for batteries and equipment of power bank, but in Europe and the United States, they are still mainly voluntary certification. In order to avoid product recalls, it is necessary to meet the requirements of EN 62133-2 and UL 1642/UL 2054 in a timely manner.

In addition, many of the above recalls are products that cannot meet the standard requirements in design. Manufacturers should fully understand the requirements of the corresponding standards in the product design stage and integrate them into the product design to avoid unnecessary economic losses.