The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2023
Anker's 535 power bank could catch fire — 42,000 recalled
Lithium cells inside Anker's 535 PowerCore 20K could overheat and ignite. 42,000 recalled after 10 overheating reports and one minor injury.
Anker · 2023-03-09
What happened
The Anker 535 PowerCore 20K was a best-selling travel power bank, sold at Target stores nationwide and online at Anker.com, Amazon and eBay for about $70. The lithium-ion battery inside could overheat during use, posing a fire hazard — the one failure a product carried in pockets, bags and on bedside tables cannot have.
By March 2023 Anker and the CPSC had collected 10 reports of overheating, including one minor injury, and Anker had begun its own recall in February after a power bank was believed to be the most probable cause of a house fire in Washington County, Maryland. On March 9, 2023 the CPSC announced recall 23-147: about 42,000 units in the United States and 620 in Canada, model A1366, sold from October 2022 through January 2023.
The remedy was a full refund with instructions for disposing of the lithium-ion battery according to local and state regulations — a product that might ignite is not repaired, it is taken back. Owners were told to stop using the recalled power banks immediately.
Why it happened
- The 535 raced through four months of sales before overheating reports forced a recall — 10 incidents including one tied to a house fire, none of which were predicted by the cells' own testing.
- A power bank stores energy next to phones, luggage and beds; a fire hazard in that category is recalled fast and refunded, never patched.
- The refund remedy destroyed the value of all 42,000 units — for a battery that may ignite there is no fix, only return and disposal.
The lesson
A power bank's job is carrying energy close to people. Anker's 535 reached 42,000 units before 10 overheating reports forced a recall — battery safety is the entry ticket, not an option.
Aftermath
The CPSC recall 23-147 covered about 42,000 Anker 535 PowerCore 20K power banks (model A1366) sold in the US and 620 sold in Canada, at Target and online at Anker.com, Amazon and eBay, from October 2022 to January 2023, for about $70. Consumers were told to stop using the units and contact Fantasia Trading for a full refund and instructions for disposing of the lithium-ion battery. Anker had announced its own recall in February 2023 after a house fire in Maryland was believed to be the most probable cause.
Sources
- CPSC — Fantasia Trading Recalls Anker Power Banks Due to Fire Hazard (Mar 2023)
- The Verge — Anker recalls 535 Power Bank amid fire concerns (Feb 2023)
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