The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) has just initiated a recall of over 111,000 Rayovac NiCd Cordless Tool Battery Packs that were sold at Batteries Plus stores (both brick-and-mortar and online) due to 5 reports of unexpected explosions of the battery packs. Of course, are exploding battery packs ever expected? In either case, the reports were concerning replacement battery packs manufactured between June 2008 and October 2011 and originating in China. Exploding batteries are rare, but exploding NiCad batteries are even more rare. This is a perplexing recall that we hope will be solved soon and fortunately there have been no injuries as of yet.
Exploding Rayovac Batteries Recall
This is a voluntary recall in conjunction with the CPSC and Rayovac and consumers are being asked to stop using the recalled batteries immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is also illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product. Here are the specific recall details:
- Name of Product: Rayovac NI-CD Cordless Tool Battery Packs
- Units: About 111,800
- Importer: BatteriesPlus LLC, of Hartland, Wis.
- Hazard: The replacement battery pack can explode unexpectedly, posing a risk of serious injury to consumers.
- Incidents/Injuries: BatteriesPlus has received five reports of exploding batteries. No injuries have been reported.
- Description: This recall involves RAYOVAC-branded replacement battery packs used with cordless power tools. “RAYOVAC,” “NI-CD” and a part number beginning with “CTL” are printed in white lettering on the product. The battery packs were sold in voltages ranging between 2.4 and 18 volts in various sizes and shapes. They were sold as replacement batteries to the following brand tools: Black and Decker, Bosch, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Panasonic, Ryobi and Skil.
- Sold exclusively at: BatteriesPlus retail stores nationwide and online at www.batteriesplus.com between June 2008 and October 2011 for about $60.
- Manufactured in: China
- Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using and remove the battery packs from cordless tools. Consumers can contact BatteriesPlus for instructions on how to return the product for a store credit.
- Customer contact: For more information, contact BatteriesPlus toll-free at (877) 856-3232 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.batteriesplus.com
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. If you have any information or experiences regarding these batteries you can contact them at www.saferproducts.gov.
