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Anker Issues Another Recall, This Time Over Fire Hazards From Bluetooth Speakers

The recall of about 69,000 A3102 Anker Soundcore (black) and A3302 PowerConf S3 speakers comes less than two months after the brand recalled power banks due to burn concerns.

Key Takeaways

Burn Hazard: Anker recalled 69,000 Bluetooth speakers due to overheating lithium-ion batteries, one of which caused a minor burn injury.


Products in Question: The affected models, sold between March and October 2023, are A3102 Anker Soundcore and A3302 PowerConf S3 speakers.


Promo in Peril? Indications are the items were not directly sold in the promo industry but rather retailed on Amazon.com.

Anker, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has issued its second voluntary recall in less than two months, this one prompted by 33 reports of lithium-ion batteries in certain of its Bluetooth speakers overheating and, in select cases, smoking and causing small fires. One minor burn injury has been reported so far, the CPSC said.

Issued Dec. 5, the recall applies to about 69,000 A3102 Anker Soundcore (black) and A3302 PowerConf S3 Bluetooth speakers. Of that total, 9,764 units were sold in Canada, with the rest retailing in the United States. Anker Innovations Limited, of Hong Kong, is the importer and the products were made in China.

speakers

The A3102 Anker Soundcore (black) and A3302 PowerConf S3 Bluetooth speakers were recalled over fire/burn concerns tied to their lithium-ion batteries.

The CPSC noted that Anker sold the recalled speakers exclusively on Amazon.com from March 2023 through October 2023 for between $28 and $130, stressing that the offending models are in particular A3102016, A3302011 and A3302031.

A search in both ESP and ESP+ indicated that those models do not appear to be directly for sale in the branded merchandise space from ASI-listed suppliers. ASI Media has contacted suppliers that carry Anker products for further insight. One of them, Hirsch (asi/61005), confirmed it does not carry the recalled SKUs.

“We don’t, and have never, carried the recalled Anker speakers,” Hirsch President Peter Hirsch told ASI Media. “Anker offers hundreds of SKUs, and we carry just a small selection of mainly power banks in our collection.”

Still, for distributors who might have gone outside normal industry supply chain channels and sourced Anker items on Amazon, it might be worth looking into the recall.

“The recalled speakers can be identified by the unit’s ‘SN code,’ which is visible on the underside of the Bluetooth speakers,” the CPSC said. “Consumers can type in the ‘SN code’ at https://us.ankerwork.com/pages/a3302-recall or https://us.soundcore.com/pages/a3102-recall to see if their product is recalled.”

Authorities said Anker and Amazon have contacted all known purchasers. Anyone with questions can call Anker at 800-988-7973 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, email them at support@anker.com or contact them online at https://support.anker.com/s/emailcontactus. A Live Chat function is also available at https://support.anker.com/s/contact-us.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled speakers and ensure they are powered off and are not connected to any external power source or charger,” the CPSC said. “Anker Innovations Limited will provide further instructions on how to obtain a replacement speaker free of charge. Because of the lithium-ion batteries, consumers should dispose of the speaker in accordance with local and state regulations and not in the trash.”

In October, Anker and the CPSC recalled 2,100 Anker power banks after the lithium-ion battery-powered electronic devices caught fire. At least two people suffered burns. Promo suppliers that carry Anker, including Hirsch, told ASI Media at the time that they looked into the power bank recall and confirmed that the products they stock were not affected.