Anker Recalls 1.87 Million Power Banks in China Due to "Spontaneous Combustion Risk"

Recently, Anker Innovations announced a recall of approximately 712,900 power bank products, including seven models: A1642, A1647, A1652, A1680, A1681, A1689, and A1257, due to safety risks. The recall is attributed to an unapproved raw material change in some batches of general-purpose battery cells from the supplier, which may cause the separator insulation to fail in a very small number of products after long-term use, leading to overheating or even combustion.

The products recalled by Anker in China are reportedly priced between 149 and 229 yuan. Therefore, if all Chinese users opt for the full refund compensation plan, the resulting economic losses could range from 106 million yuan to 163 million yuan.

As early as September 2024, Anker had already identified the potential "combustion risk" in the relevant models but did not initiate a widespread recall. In addition, approximately 1.158 million Anker power banks were recalled in the United States.

Currently, several domestic airports, including Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and Changsha Huanghua International Airport, have begun banning recalled Anker power banks from boarding.

Some models were previously recalled due to a "burning" risk.

Anker Innovations has removed the relevant models from all official e-commerce platforms and terminated its partnership with the supplier. It will offer users three compensation options: a full refund; an upgrade or replacement; and an Anker Mall voucher (original order amount + 50 yuan).

However, the content of Anker Innovations' recall announcement differed across different channels.

The company's WeChat account reportedly only briefly mentioned the reason for the recall and the product models, without specifying the number of products affected or the corresponding compensation plan. The content posted on the Weibo account also omitted the number of products affected and downplayed the intention to contact users via text message or phone. The company did not release any recall information on its "Anker" Weibo account.

In contrast, on its official PC website, which most users don't actively visit, Anker Innovations provided a more comprehensive explanation of the recall compensation and the number of products involved—a total of 712,964 units across seven models.

In its announcement, Anker Innovations stated: "Anker will confront the issue head-on, will not shirk responsibility, and will act swiftly."

Some believe that the different versions of the recall announcement across different channels may reflect Anker Innovations' intention to downplay the negative impact of the recall.

In fact, as early as September 17, 2024, Anker Innovations initiated a voluntary recall of the A1642/A1647/A1652 power banks. According to the announcement at the time, a very small number of power banks shipped between December 2023 and April 2024 contained defects in some lithium-ion batteries, which could lead to overheating and, in extreme cases, a fire hazard.

Judging from the models and reasons for the recall, Anker Innovations discovered a "potential burn" quality issue with several of its products as early as September of last year, yet the affected models remained on sale.

As a result, after this incident, some users bluntly commented, "So they were supposed to recall this product last year? Was it so difficult to notify customers through sales channels?"

The maximum losses could reach over 100 million yuan.

It is worth noting that Anker Innovations' domestic recall came only after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSCC) announced that Anker Innovations' power banks had been linked to 19 fires and explosions, and issued a recall of approximately 1.158 million units.

Previously, on June 12, the CPSCC announced that approximately 1.158 million Anker PowerCore 10000 power banks (model A1263 only) were being recalled due to a fire and burn risk. Following this announcement, Anker Innovations issued a "Product Recall Notice," announcing that it had submitted a recall application to the relevant authorities for some basic models.

Combining the recall data from both regions, 712,000 products were recalled in China (compensation available), and 1.158 million were recalled in the US (compensation not discussed). Based on this data, the price range for Anker's China recall is between 149 and 229 yuan. Therefore, if all Chinese users opt for the full refund compensation plan, the resulting economic losses would range from a minimum of 106 million yuan to a maximum of 163 million yuan.

Notably, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the products recalled by Anker Innovations in the US were sold on Anker's official website, Amazon, and other online platforms between June 2016 and December 2022. This means that for at least six years, Anker Innovations' power bank products have been subject to persistent risks of spontaneous combustion due to flawed supplier management.

"After the supplier tampered with the raw materials, Anker's quality monitoring system failed to promptly intercept the risk, and the issue was not discovered until an internal safety inspection. This exposes significant vulnerabilities in its supply chain," commented an industry insider. On platforms like Xiaohongshu, many users are dissatisfied with the attitude and manner in which Anker Innovations customer service staff handled product recalls, saying, "I've been a fan for so many years for nothing." Some users who weren't in the recalled batches are also worried, "I'm afraid to use the same model even if it's out of the same batch."

Earlier, in December 2024, Anker Innovations recalled 69,000 Anker Soundcore (A3102) and PowerConf Bluetooth (A3302) speakers due to a potential fire hazard posed by the speaker's lithium battery. In 2023, it also recalled over 4,600 power banks due to a potential overheating and combustion issue.

Despite unsatisfactory product quality, Anker Innovations' revenue and profit growth rates are staggering. According to its 2024 financial report, Anker Innovations' annual revenue reached 24.71 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 41.14%; its net profit reached 2.114 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 30.93%.

How can such high revenue and profit growth be so far without guaranteeing product quality? Industry insiders believe that Anker Innovations' asset-light model, which outsources production to contract manufacturers and focuses solely on design and brand marketing, has led to profit growth but also created quality control risks.

"We're willing to pay for quality, but don't play with our safety." This person believes that compared to "deep-sea" product areas like mobile phones and automobiles, Anker Innovations's approach to power banks is more like casting a net in the "shallow waters," creating a lower barrier to entry. With rising power bank sales from brands like Huawei and Xiaomi, "if Anker Innovations can't continue to earn user trust through quality, it risks being squeezed out of the top tier."