Goal Zero batteries

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Mar 24, 2018 · , sent to the company Jun 14, 2018 · , published by CPSC Jun 28, 2018

   The product, in the report: Goal zero item : https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2014/goal-zero-recalls-battery-packs

   ebay is selling this item as new without issues illegally!!! and then refusing a refund!!!

   https://www.ebay.com/itm/goal-zero-extreme-IU-converter-400-watt-and-a-older-sherpa-50/183116300048?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

   and also

   https://www.ebay.com/itm/Goal-Zero-Sherpa-50-Power-Pack-Charger-11002/162518387970?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

   the unit smoked and melted!!!

   Model

   Sherpa 50

   Serial number

   11002007561

   Bought from

   ebay, California

   Bought

   Mar 15, 2018

   Where

   travelers rest, South Carolina: Other

   Who was involved

   Age 38, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Goal Zero, made or sold by Goal Zero LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

2. No one hurt

   Made May 18, 2017 · , sent to the company Jul 21, 2017 · , published by CPSC Aug 4, 2017

   The product, in the report: Goalzero yeti 150 battery pack, green, silver, black

   I bought a goalzero 150 yeti from Amazon a couple of years ago, for about $4.00. The battery didn’t last very long, then out of juice quickly. I tried it twice, just didn’t work, thought I did something wrong so didn’t return. I kept it plugged in at home just in case of power outages. I really figured it was just a bad battery, bought another. My husband went to install today, couldn’t get the other one out. It had a large bulge in it, the case kept it from getting bigger. It looks like it was a defective battery. Not sure if battery or unit overheats or both.

   Model

   150 yeti

   Serial number

   Y150-12-01334

   Bought from

   Amazon

   Where

   Frazier Park, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unspecified

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Unspecified

   As this report names them

   Brand Goal zero, made or sold by Goal Zero LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

3. No one hurt

   Made Dec 10, 2014 · , sent to the company Dec 18, 2014 · , published by CPSC Jan 13, 2015

   The product, in the report: rubber & metal battery pack with built-in hooks on ends approx 8”x5”x2” had usb ports and other charging and port connections

   Purchased Goal Zero Sherpa 50 battery pack along with several other Goal Zero components. These items were being used by myself as part of field research in Africa and Alaska. I had not used the battery pack for several weeks and it was dead. When I went to recharge it, it would not recharge (although the light indicated that it was charging). I checked all connections. I then noticed that the battery pack was not lying flush while charging. It was bulging in the middle of the body. The screws that held it together were bulging at strange angles. There was nothing leaking from the body, but the bulge was very alarming. The battery pack was also very hot to the touch. I did not attempt to charge the pack anymore. I laid it outside of my house on cement until it had cooled. I then disposed of it in e-waste.

   Model

   Sherpa 50 battery pack

   Bought from

   Goal Zero webstie

   Bought

   Apr 5, 2011

   Where

   Monterey, California: Other

   Who was involved

   Age 54, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Goal Zero, made or sold by Goal Zero LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

4. No one hurt

   Made Nov 26, 2014 · , sent to the company Dec 5, 2014 · , published by CPSC Dec 19, 2014

   The product, in the report: Goal Zero 11002 Sherpa 50 Battery

   Bought Goal0 Sherpa 50 Battery approx 4/29/2012 from Amazon.com

   I bought the Sherpa 50 for my bug out bag. I took the Sherpa 50 on a camping trip, and it worked well for that trip. I used it to power some Bose speakers mounted on my backpack for a trial run. A year rolled by since then and I wanted to take it to the beach the following morning to give the Bose speakers some extended play. So, I plugged the Sherpa 50 it in at 11:30 pm. About 2 hours later my sister awoke me that she was nauseous that some noxious burnt electronic smell was coming from my office where she was sleeping near. I rushed into the room where the battery was being charged only to be sickened by the odor coming from the room. The battery had melted from the inside, and produced such a terrible smell, that I had to evacuate the house to a nearby hotel for 2 days to let the house air out. I placed the battery outside. I can still smell traces of the odor in room where I left it about 2 weeks later. When I contacted Goal Zero about the battery problem the next day, they knew all about it...I asked if it was toxic and would I need treatment for the 5 people that were present when the device failed. They stated it wasn’t toxic that it was some sort of sodium battery and that it only happened on a few of the batches. They said that what happened was a few cells went dry over the course of a year and that the charger was trying to fully charge the dysfunctional battery bank, that’s when the meltdown would occur. They have known about this problem for some time. I was LIVID when I realized that they didn’t issue a recall or warning about the battery. It could have saved me a lot of headaches and money at 2:00am. It could have burned down my house if I was not home, killed the family pets, or worse .... if it turns out to be toxic it could have sickened family members. Even after my call to them, they didn’t seem to interested in contacting Amazon to issue a recall. Seems morally bankrupt to me. I feel like my family’s safety has been priced, a calculated risk because “only a small number fail”. Well, that’s great, unless your unaware and the owner. I find it criminally negligent not to issue at least a warning to watch it or charge it outside. I own dozens of cordless tools, not one battery charging failure there. I am going to make Amazon aware of this issue. Let me know if your experience was similar. Rest assured this product won’t be there for you when you need it the most. It’s an expensive hazard in my book. They company took my name and address, and said they would replace the product. So Far, nothing has come through. Empty promises. I’ll issue an update on here if they make good on their promises. I’m interested to see if they issue a recall after this or after I flag it for Amazon to examine.

   *** AMAZON DIDN”T GET OFF THEIR FATT [REDACTED] TO RECALL THIS PRODUCT AFTER I TRIED TO TELL THEM MANY TIMES ***

   http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RR0P83CMB67I?ref_=pe_623860_70668520

   Model

   11404

   Bought from

   Amazon.com

   Bought

   Apr 29, 2012, about then

   Where

   Hereford, Arizona: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 38, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Other Relative

   As this report names them

   Brand Goal Zero, made or sold by Goal Zero LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

5. No one hurt

   Made Jul 15, 2013 · , sent to the company Aug 9, 2013 · , published by CPSC Aug 23, 2013

   The product, in the report: portable solar power sysyem with an ac adaptor, dc and usb port

   (07/14/2013) The consumer stated that she was downstairs doing her dishes. She smelled something and you looked and saw smoke coming from her office. The consumer stated that she went into the office and saw smoke coming out of the battery pack which had been plugged in less than a hour. The consumer stated that she unplugged it and removed it from the office. The consumer stated that the product had melted and smoke was pouring out. The consumer stated that it set off the smoke alarms in the entire house. The consumer stated that as she was taking it out of the house, sparks came from the battery pack. The consumer stated that as she was taking the product up the stairs, black stuff was shooting out from the battery pack on to her walls. The consumer stated that she hosed the product down with water. The consumer stated that she called the fire department. The fire department came out and checked to make sure that there was nothing else in the room that could have caused the smoke. The fire department stated that the cause was the power pack.

   The consumer stated that saw on the manufacturers web site that the product had been discontinued.

   (07/15/2013) The consumer contacted the manufacturer. The consumer advised the representative (name unknown) of what had happened. The consumer asked the representative why there was not a recall. The consumer was advised by the representative that a mass email was sent out to the distributers. The consumer advised the representative that she talk to REI on 7/14/2013 and was told that they did not receive an email. The consumer asked the representative why it is not stated on the web site that the product is faulty. The representative advised the consumer that mass emails were sent out. The consumer was offered a new product. The consumer declined the offer. The consumer advised the representative that she wanted her money back. The consumer was advised that she could not get her money back.

   Model

   Sherpa 120

   Serial number

   ubnknonw

   Bought from

   REI.com, Colorado

   Bought

   Jul 1, 2011, about then

   Where

   Parker, Colorado: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Goal Zero, made or sold by Goal Zero LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources