Hobby-Lobby Int'l Recalls Battery Chargers Used with Helicopters Due to Fire Hazard

Fire & burns

The lithium-polymer batteries can ignite while charging, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Units: About 3,200
Reports: 3
Injuries: —
Deaths: —
Price: $15–$300
Remedy: See notice

Reports, injuries, deaths and price are read out of the notice’s wording by rules, so they can miss unusual phrasing. The official notice is the record.

Affected

The recall involves a lithium-polymer battery charger and batteries sold with the AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit. The recall also includes any spare battery (Model AT600B) or spare charger (Model ATS6046) purchased for this kit.

The file

Sold at: Hobby-Lobby.com from April 2006 through July 2007 for about $300 per kit. Spare chargers sold for about $15 and spare batteries sold for about $45.
Product type: Adapter/Power Supply/Charger/Battery
Made in: China
Recalled by: Art-Tech R/C Hobby Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen, China, Hobby-Lobby International Inc., of Brentwood, Tenn.

Incident log

The firm has received three reports of incidents, including a consumer who received serious burns to his hand when a battery ignited.

What the notice says to do

Consumers should stop using the recalled chargers and batteries immediately. Consumers can receive new batteries and a "smart" charger that will shut down when the charging process is completed by contacting sales@hobby-lobby.com. 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 follow instructions for disposal and registration on their Web site.

For more information, contact Hobby-Lobby at (866) 933-5972 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday, or visit the firm's web site at www.hobbylobby.com

Open official CPSC notice ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Recall notice published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This site is independent: always confirm on the official notice before acting.

Notice first dated APR 14 2008; last revised JAN 09 2015.