LG Electronics phones and phone accessories

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. Hurt, no treatment

   Made Sep 10, 2019 · , sent to the company Sep 27, 2019 · , published by CPSC Oct 11, 2019

   The product, in the report: LG Cell Phone, K20 Model Number LGM255 IMEI# 355574-08-216494-3

   On Jun 2nd, 2019 the battery in my son’s LG K20 ( Model Number LGM255) cell phone came close to exploding / burning. He was sleeping with it about a foot from his head (he does because the alarm volume was not sufficient to wake him from the nightstand), when he woke up to a phone that had burst open and was glowing bright red, emitting smoke. As he called out to me, the fire alarm began sounding and woke me. I rushed to his room to find it full of smoke and was able to scoop the phone onto a plate and rush it outdoors before it fully exploded. I then submerged it in water to cool it down. By the appearance, it looks like we caught it just before it burst. We were lucky it did not explode in his face. The phone briefly ignited his bedding and mattress. I do have photos of the phone and damage. I have reported this to LG, but they are stonewalling me.

   The phone was purchased in Nov/Dec of 2017 as a Christmas present. The phone was not plugged in to charge at the time it burst. It has always been in a case and he had not dropped it at any point. This is the original battery. There is no way his actions could have caused a puncture of the battery which would lead to this reaction.

   This phone was only about a 1 & 1/2 years old. I cannot find any information about this happening in other K20s, but needed to let you know in case there are other occurrences. This phone is just out of warranty, but I feel that this damage is due to an obvious defect in the battery.

   Model

   LGM255 K20

   Serial number

   713CYUK216494

   Bought from

   AT&T

   Bought

   Dec 18, 2017

   Where

   Bristow, Virginia: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 14, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   My Child

   As this report names them

   Brand LG Electronics, made or sold by LGE Mobile Communications

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received

2. No one hurt

   Made Jul 1, 2011 · , published by CPSC Jul 27, 2011

   The product, in the report: Specifications:Call/end, volume key, last number redial, voice dialing, multi-connection (up to 2 phones), and easy pairing. (Includes Wireless Solutions VPA) Compatibility: Bluetooth Version 2.0 Dimensions: 3.71” x 1.98” x 0.57” Weight: 2.54 oz. Features: The Solar Bluetooth Car Kit. Mount this light-weight box to your windshield and you’re good to go and talk. Holding enough charge for 16 hours of talk time, the kit can get 1 hour of talk time for every 2 hours of exposure. Plastic clasps keep the box angled at the sun so you can careen around corners without losing light. When fully charged, the HFB-500 provides a massive 960 minutes of talk time.

   Battery seems to be off-gassing. If this is indeed the case, then this poses the risk of fire and chemical burns.

   Time of chat: 7/1/2011 1:31:50 PM Length of chat: 00:14:40 Your name: Guest Chatted with: [REDACTED] 12:31 PM [REDACTED]: Hello Guest. Welcome to LG Electronics! How may I provide you with excellent service today? 12:33 PM Guest: I have an HFB-500 Bluetooth Solar Car-Kit that I purchased from Newegg on 04/15/2011. The battery seems to be critically failing. 12:33 PM [REDACTED]: I really apologize that you are having this problem. 12:33 PM [REDACTED]: I would be happy to look into this for you to find the best resolution. 12:34 PM [REDACTED]: Please allow me to provide you the Warranty 12:34 PM [REDACTED]: Every LG phone and device has a one year limited warranty which starts from the date of purchase, or original purchase (If it was a replacement that is), unless you purchased a refurbished phone which has only 90 days of warranty. If you would need to send the phone or device to LG, we will perform a cover to cover check on the device to see what the issue is, if our technicians find that the issue is caused by any type of physical, liquid, or cosmetic damage on the device then fees will be applied, at this point you will be notified via email or through a phone call before doing any repairs. 12:34 PM Guest: It seems to be off-gassing, as it has expanded to the point that it has popped open the case partially and compressed the components to a point to where it is difficult to turn off the unit due to the fact that there is not enough travel in the power button 12:35 PM [REDACTED]: As well, this warranty will not cover the device if it was purchased through a non authorized LG dealer, such as E-bay, newegg, craiglist, etc…; if our technicians determine that the issue is a manufacturer’s defect, the device will be repaired or replaced by a certified refurbish unit. This process has a turn around time of 5 to 7 business days, from the day that our technicians start working on your device. 12:36 PM Guest: oh fantastic you sell a junk product and then won’t warranty the thing... well you just went down a couple of notches 12:37 PM [REDACTED]: I am sorry for the inconvenience this must have caused. 12:37 PM Guest: and let me tell you a little something about the CPSC... if this truly is off-gassing, then it is a safety issue due to risk of explosion. 12:38 PM [REDACTED]: Sorry what means CPSC ? 12:40 PM Guest: If I report this to the CPSC, and it comes to light that you refused to service it, there could be legal issues 12:40 PM Guest: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent federal regulatory agency formed in 1972 and charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard, or that can injure children. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products—such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals—contributed substantially to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years. 12:40 PM [REDACTED]: I am sorry but this is the LG warranty 12:40 PM [REDACTED]: I see

   Model

   HFB-500

   UPC

   8801031841509

   Serial number

   910CC28104390

   Bought from

   Newegg.com, California

   Bought

   Apr 15, 2011

   Where

   Buffalo, Missouri: Other

   Who was involved

   Age 29, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand LG Electronics, made or sold by LGE Mobile Communications

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources