Over 301,000 Wireless Earphones Pulled Due To Fire, Burn Hazard

E-filliate is recalling about 301,800 units of its wireless earphones because they may pose a fire and burn hazard. Customers who have the affected products can get a free replacement.

The DEWALT Jobsite Pro Wireless Earphones may overheat while they are charging or being used, the recall alert posted on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website noted. So far, the company has received 61 reports of the earphones overheating while they are charging or in use, including five incidents of fire and four reports of "minor burn injuries."

"We are conducting this recall to keep our customers safe and prevent injuries by removing the problem products," the company said.

As such, the company is urging those who have the affected products to stop using them immediately, even if they look safe. Instead, they should contact the company to arrange for a return "at no charge" to get a free replacement.

The recall affects the Jobsite Pro Wireless Earphones that have a black and yellow neckband with wired earbuds. The manufacture codes included in the recall are D4 1910, D4 1912, D4 2003, D4 2004, D4 2006, D4 2009, D4 2011, D4 2012, D4 2101, D4 2103 and D4 2104. The code can be found on the left side of the band.

"If no manufacture code is present, the product is included in the recall," the company clarified. "There is a photograph of the product itself and where the manufacture code is located in the recall announcement."

The products were sold at various electronic and hardware stores nationwide and online, including Lowe's and Home Depot, from December 2019 to July 2021.

Wireless Device Fire Hazard

This is not the first time that such wireless devices posed a fire hazard. In 2017, for instance, a woman who was on a flight from Beijing to Melbourne suffered burns to her face and hands when the battery-operated headphones she was using caught fire. At the time, it was suspected that the product's lithium-ion batteries were behind the incident.

There are a few things one can do to ensure safety when purchasing and using such wireless devices. They include not buying cheap and no-name brands that could have cut corners on their lithium-ion batteries, putting the devices in a protective case so they won't get crushed, using the right charger for them, avoiding extreme temperatures when charging and keeping an eye out for physical changes to the items, like swelling or cracks, before using them.