The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·10752·Announced 2010-08-10

Asurion Recalls Counterfeit BlackBerry Batteries Due to Burn and Fire Hazards

Asurion is recalling counterfeit BlackBerry batteries in refurbished devices due to overheating risks that caused minor burns and property damage.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk-of-harm product (fire/burn hazard) where injury has been reported (minor burns and property damage), but no serious injuries or fatalities are documented, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products.

Plain-English summary

Asurion is recalling approximately 470,000 counterfeit BlackBerry-branded cell phone batteries that were included in refurbished devices. These batteries were distributed to consumers through Asurion's handset protection claim program between March 2004 and October 2009. The recall specifically involves counterfeit batteries provided with refurbished BlackBerry devices; genuine BlackBerry-branded batteries and other Asurion or BlackBerry products are not included.

The counterfeit batteries can overheat, posing burn and fire hazards. Asurion has received two reports of the batteries overheating, which resulted in minor burns to a consumer's finger and minor property damage to a sofa and car seat.

Consumers who received refurbished BlackBerry devices through Asurion prior to November 1, 2009, should immediately stop using the product and contact Asurion for a replacement. Asurion is directly contacting known consumers with the affected batteries to notify them of this recall. For more information, consumers can contact Asurion toll-free at (866) 384-9175 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.001batex.com.

The recalled product

Product
Counterfeit BlackBerry®-branded cell phone batteries in refurbished devices
Category
Consumer Product — Cell Phone Batteries
Hazard
Affected units
470,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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