June 27 (UPI) — SunVilla has recalled about 400,000 outdoor umbrellas sold at Costco for an overheating and fire risk related to the product’s built-in solar panel and LED lights.
The product featured LED lights on the arms of each umbrella as well as a black solar panel batter puck containing a lithium-ion battery.
he company, based in Chino, Calif., received six reports of lithium-ion batteries used in the umbrellas overheating, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Three solar panels were reported to have caught fire while charging indoors via an AC adaptor and two were reported to have caught fire when the solar panel puck overheated while attached to the umbrella. One smoke inhalation injury tied to the defect was reported.
The CPSC has advised consumers to immediately stop using the umbrellas and remove the solar panel containing the battery and store the puck out of the sun and away from anything combustible and not to charge it with an AC adaptor.
The umbrellas were sold online and at Costco locations from December 2020 through May 2022 for between $130 and $160, and can be returned to any Costco location for a full refund.
The company has also recalled 33,000 umbrellas sold at Costco locations in Canada.
