The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereCPSC·08558·Announced 2008-04-14

Hobby-Lobby Recalls Helicopter Battery Chargers Due to Fire Hazard

Hobby-Lobby International is recalling lithium-polymer battery chargers and batteries for the AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit because they can ignite while charging.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a fire hazard with reported serious burns to a consumer, meeting the criteria for a Severe rating (significant injury reports).

Plain-English summary

Hobby-Lobby International is recalling lithium-polymer battery chargers and batteries sold with the AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit. The recall also includes spare batteries (Model AT600B) and spare chargers (Model ATS6046) purchased for this kit. The products were sold by Hobby-Lobby.com from April 2006 through July 2007 for about $300 per kit, with spare chargers sold for about $15 and spare batteries for about $45. Approximately 3,200 units are involved in the recall.

The lithium-polymer batteries can ignite while charging, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The firm has received three reports of incidents, including one where a consumer received serious burns to his hand when a battery ignited.

Consumers should stop using the recalled chargers and batteries immediately. They can receive new batteries and a "smart" charger that shuts down when charging is complete by contacting [email protected]. Hobby-Lobby International has directly contacted consumers who purchased the products from them. Consumers should not return the batteries and chargers to the firm but should follow instructions for disposal and registration on the company's website. For more information, contact Hobby-Lobby at (866) 933-5972 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday, or visit www.hobbylobby.com.

The recalled product

Product
Lithium-polymer battery chargers and lithium-polymer batteries
Manufacturer
Art-Tech R/C Hobby Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen, China
Category
Consumer Product — Hobby Electronics
Hazard
Affected units
3,200

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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