Nearly 200,000 portable chargers recalled after airplane fire — stop using this now

(Image credit: VRURC)

There's a reason why many airlines are wary of lithium-ion batteries on planes — batteries that are improperly stored, damaged, or have a manufacturing defect could catch fire, with potentially disastrous results.

That's just what happened with a VRURC portable charger, which reportedly caught fire during a flight, injuring four flight attendants who had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

As a result, the company has issued a recall for 190,000 portable chargers, which were sold on Amazon between July 2021 and May 2023.

How to know if your portable charger is being recalled

VRURC is recalling its model OD-B7 portable charger, which has built-in USB and Lightning cables as well as a wall plug. The model number is printed on the back of the charger, which was sold in six colors (black, blue, green, orange, pink, red and white). Above is an image of what the charger looks like.

What to do if your charger has been recalled

If you own this model charger, stop using it immediately. You can contact VRURC to get a replacement free of charge:

• Call the company collect at 951-593-9128 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday

• Email at support@vrurcpower.com

• Go online to https://www.vrurcpower.com/pages/safety-recall or https://www.vrurcpower.com/ and click on Recalls at the top of the page for more information.

You can also find this information on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall page.

Other recalled portable chargers and batteries

Of course, this isn't the first time a battery in a consumer electronic device has been recalled. Most famously, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was banned from airlines and eventually recalled by Samsung due to a defective design, which caused numerous models to catch fire and explode.

Earlier this year, Anker recalled the Anker 535 Power Banks (PowerCore 20k), of which roughly 42,000 units were sold in the U.S. and Canada; back in June 2019, Apple recalled more than 430,000 15-inch MacBook Pros for overheating batteries. So even the largest companies are not immune to these sorts of issues.

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Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.