PSA: Stop Using These Fire-Prone Anker Power Banks Right Now

Anker, one of the leading power bank manufacturers in the world, has issued yet another global recall for five more external chargers this month after discovering a fault that could lead to overheating and melting, presenting a potential fire risk. This is starting to sound like déjà vu. Just this month, Anker recalled 1.15 million units of a separate power bank due to an issue that could potentially set the battery alight.

The company detected these issues after implementing new “enhanced quality assurance protocols” for its past and current products. Anker described the issue as stemming from “a single vendor” for the power cells of some of its products, but didn’t reveal the vendor’s name or what kind of new testing helped it discover the fault.

Anker has so many power banks under its ever-widening product umbrella you wouldn’t be remiss if you looked at the included images and thought one of those was yours. The actual model numbers, including the one from the earlier June 13 recall, include:

• 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 PowerCore 10000 Power Bank — Model A1263

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) previously noted the Model A1263 had resulted in 19 reported incidents resulting in two minor burn injuries. If you think you may be one of those with an affected unit, you need to go to Anker’s recall page and submit a claim. You need to verify the serial number of your device and provide a picture of the power bank if it’s available. Users will either receive a replacement external battery or a gift card equal to the cost of the unit. We don’t have a good idea when most of those models were sold, but the company previously said it promoted its PowerCore 10000 between 2016 and 2022.

At this rate, it won’t be long until Anker recalls become an annual event. Last October, the company clawed back several Anker 334 MagGo Battery (PowerCore 10K) models due to similar issues with overheating and fire risk. The CPSC noted the total number of units recalled in that case was closer to 2,100, though there were a reported 28 incidents of the banks overheating, catching on fire, or “exploding,” resulting in two injuries where users received burns on their hands. This new, global recall could impact a much wider range of owners. The CPSC has not yet revealed how many units in total are being recalled.

Last December, Anker recalled close to 69,000 of two of its SoundCore and PowerConf Bluetooth speakers over similar overheating issues. Anker makes some of our favorite external chargers, but this rash of recalls makes it much more difficult to recommend. You’re better off staying away from the company’s older power bank models that could sport the deficient parts causing overheating, or else you may need to invest in a firefighter’s uniform next time you want to charge your phone on the go.