Around 6,000 recalled LG home batteries have still not been located

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued multiple recall notices for the LG batteries, which were sold to Australian consumers from January 2016 onwards under the brands LG, SolaX, Opal, Redback, Red Earth, Eguana, VARTA, and in unbranded systems.

It has now revealed that about 6,000 of the recalled batteries have not yet been located, adding that “about 8,000 affected LG batteries remain at risk in homes across Australia.”

At least nine incidents of property damage involving the LG batteries have been reported to the ACCC and, in one case, a personal injury. “One home has been completely destroyed by a fire linked to an LG battery overheating,” a statement issued by Australia’s Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones, noted.

“Thousands of people may be unaware they live in homes that have one of these affected batteries installed in their solar energy system,” ACCC Deputy Chair, Catriona Lowe, said. “It is vitally important that everyone with a solar system checks their battery now to make sure they keep their family safe.”

The repeated warning for Australian battery owners comes amid reports of a spate of battery fires in Europe that have been linked to LG-branded batteries.

The first recall for the battery systems was issued in February 2021, at which time it was estimated that 7,200 systems were involved. The scope of the recall has since been expanded several times.

“When these batteries malfunction there is a serious risk of injury or death due to the affected batteries overheating and causing a fire,” the ACCC has said.

“LG will provide a refund, replacement or software update to fix the problem, and has also committed to paying compensation to consumers who incur higher energy bills while their system is switched off,” the watchdog added.

Further information is available at Product Safety Australia, and at the following recall notices: PRA 2020/18529 and PRA 2022/19550 and PRA 2022/19420.