2 Investigators: Rechargeable Battery Packs Could Store Hidden Danger
(CBS) -- Smart phones and tablets have become essential tools in our everyday lives, and so to have accessories like battery packs that help keep those devices charged. But, could some of them be packing a hidden danger? 2 Investigator Pam Zekman got a tip about an exploding rechargeable battery pack that she just had to check out.
"Once I felt my knee actually burning, it sort of had a little flash back on my jeans, that's when I knew, wait something is happening," said Michelle Grace.
The aftermath tells the story: a couch and rug scorched by flames, charred pieces of the battery pack all over the apartment and burns to her clothing and skin.
"Very scary, very scary," recalled Grace.
Grace was using a rechargeable device and she says that when she went to plug in the USB cord, the battery blew up.
"It all happened so fast .... I turned around and my couch was on fire, full on flames," Grace said.
Grace bought the SoundLogic XT power cell for $30. She is in contact with the importer -- Midwest Trading Group -- regarding compensation for her damages, which she estimates to be about $2,500.
"Another similar complaint we saw recently in Illinois, a charger caught fire in the middle of the night," said Abe Scarr of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group.
That incident involved the same brand: "Sound Logic." The report states, "It exploded and caught fire…burning two significant holes in our bedroom carpet."
With millions of people using cell phones and these types of chargers there is a potential for a big problem.
"Yes it certainly could be a big problem, I think the market for these chargers is growing and if the market is continued to be filled with cheap products, we could see more of these incidents in the coming months," said Scarr.
Already, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has 540 recalls or complaints involving all different types of charging devices.
"The fact that these things can combust at any point is frightening and I would say to the people that have them I would not keep them plugged in when you're not nearby and paying attention to them, " Scarr added.
As for Grace, she's just thankful the battery explosion wasn't worse.
"Had I been on an airplane or if I had small kids that were around that would have been extremely frightening," Grace said.
A spokesperson for the company that imports the Sound Logic chargers says they can't be sure Grace purchased one of their items because she doesn't have the receipt. But they say they are working with her to compensate her for the damages and will also contact the second case cited in this report.
In a written response to our questions the spokesperson said, " the power banks have proven to be very safe when used correctly" and have less than 1-in-a million failure rate…The biggest problem we've had is with units which have been dropped on a hard surface or otherwise damaged. We noticed that several months ago and updated our materials to reflect that if the unit has been hard dropped it should not be used..."
He added that their SoundLogic power banks made in China have "ICs (Integrated Circuits/chips) that protect the unit against over voltage, over-current and over heat."
If you ever experience anything like this you should report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
