Summer Infant Video Monitor Battery Recall: Burn Hazard

Following nearly two dozen reports of rechargeable batteries for handheld infant monitors overheating, the manufacturer has issued a recall for more than 800,000 batteries sold with Summer Infant video monitors, indicating that they may pose a risk of burns and fires.

The infant monitor rechargeable battery recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on April 23, following at least 22 customer complaints indicating the batteries overheated and ruptured, including a few incidents of smoke and minor property damage. To date no burn injuries or fires have been reported.

The recall includes the rechargeable batteries in Summer Infant handheld color video monitors with serial numbers S/N: JNN-S150A, S/N:JNS150-BA, S/N:JNS150A, S/N: JNN-S150B, S/N:JNS150-BB, S/N: JNN-S150C, and S/N:JNS150-BC. The batteries are black and measure about 1 ½ inch tall by 2 ¼ inches wide and are ¼ inch thick. Each battery is marked with TCL on the lower right corner of the battery and is equipped with a matching camera and A/C adaptor. For a full list of recalled monitor models equipped with the faulty batteries please visit the CPSC recall notice linked above.

The CPSC announced in its recall that the infant monitors themselves are not faulty and may still be operated by removing the batteries and plugging them into a wall outlet using the power cord.

The monitors were manufactured in China under Summer Infant, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island where they were sold at mass merchant stores including Babies “R” Us, independent juvenile stores, and various online retailers from February 2010 through 2012 for between $150 and $350.

The CPSC recommends that customers check to see if they are in possession of affected models and remove the batteries from the monitors immediately. Those with affected batteries should contact Summer Infant at 800-426-8627 or visit them online at www.summerinfant.com/alerts/battery-recall for information on how to obtain free replacement batteries.