Frequent incidents of power banks (mobile chargers) catching fire have been occurring on the mainland, with flights suspected to be delayed due to power banks catching fire in the overhead luggage compartments. Xiaomi announced on the 29th in the country that they are voluntarily recalling over 140,000 power banks, suspected to have fire issues.
According to the announcement on the official website of the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation on the 29th, Xiaomi is voluntarily recalling some MI brand built-in wire power banks 20000 33W (model: PB2030MI) manufactured between August 1, 2024, and September 22, 2024, involving a quantity of 146,891 units.
Xiaomi stated that the power banks within the scope of this recall may experience overheating due to the raw material of some battery cells, posing a burning risk in extreme scenarios. The company will initiate the recall of defective products through free return and refund for consumers. According to Xiaomi’s announcement, consumers will be entitled to a refund of 159 Chinese yuan.
The PB2030MI power banks are no longer visible on Xiaomi’s mainland official website.
Earlier, Hong Kong media reported incidents of Xiaomi power banks exploding.
On August 22, a netizen posted on Facebook stating that the Xiaomi power bank 20000 built-in wire 33W exploded, with seven cases reported already. Everyone, please be cautious, especially passengers boarding flights!
Accidents involving mainland-produced power banks have been happening frequently, with multiple incidents of power banks catching fire inside airplane cabins occurring this year alone.
On August 28, a netizen posted on a social media platform that there was a fire in the cabin due to a power bank on Xiamen Airlines flight MF8086 before takeoff, with particularly pungent smoke. The netizen called for the Civil Aviation Administration to ban the carrying of power banks, as it endangers “the safety of hundreds of passengers on a flight.”
In the afternoon of the 28th, Xiamen Airlines confirmed to the media that this incident did happen, resulting in a delay of the flight. The situation was promptly addressed on-site, and the flight eventually took off as scheduled. However, various mainland media reports did not mention the brand of the power bank that caught fire.