Wii Battery Charger Recall: Recharge Station Poses Burn and Fire Hazard

About 220,000 Wii battery rechargers have been recalled due to overheating problems reported by several consumers, including at least two reports of personal injury.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of the Pysclone Essentials and React Wii 4-Dock Battery Recharge Stations on August 11. The devices are used to recharge the “Wiimote,” the wireless controller for Nintendo’s Wii home video game console.

The distributor, Griffin International Cos., Inc., of Minneapolis, received six reports of the rechargers overheating, resulting in two cases of minor burns to the hand. It has been determined that the battery pack can overheat, resulting in the potential risk of the burns or fire.

The rechargers were sold under two brand names; Psyclone Essentials and React. They are white docking stations with four recharge stations and rechargeable battery pack. The rechargers have brand names on the front of the packaging, and the model numbers can be found on the bottom of the recharger. The model numbers are PSE6501 for the Psyclone Essentials battery station, and RT530 for the React version.

Psyclone Essentials was sold at Target, Toys R Us, and on Amazon.com. React was sold at Best Buy. Both products were distributed nationwide between January 2008 through July 2009 for about $50. They were made in China.

The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately stop using the recharge stations and contact Griffin International to obtain information on how to return the product and receive a free replacement.