US product-safety news · 11
CPSC warns against Hererod PW40 and EW40 after 16 fire reports—and no cooperative recall
The US safety warning covers about 12,500 Hererod jump starters sold online and exposes a second risk beyond the battery: no manufacturer-led recall response.
News summary
On 17 September, CPSC told consumers to stop using and dispose of Hererod PW40 and EW40 jump starters after 16 fire reports, seven involving property damage. About 12,500 units were sold through Amazon, CarKart and eBay from August 2024 through August 2026; the Chinese manufacturer did not respond to recall or information requests, so this is a safety warning without a company-run remedy. This matters because buyers and marketplaces need a responsible party, incident channel and funded response plan before listing. ZIMONAI’s editorial view is that post-sale response capacity belongs in product-safety procurement, not in cleanup after fires.
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CPSC identifies two affected models, PW40 and EW40, and says their internal lithium-ion batteries can explode and ignite.
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The agency records 16 fire reports, including seven with property damage, across approximately 12,500 units sold online over a two-year period.
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This is a CPSC product-safety warning rather than a cooperative recall notice: the named Chinese manufacturer was unresponsive to requests for a recall or information.
What did CPSC confirm about the PW40 and EW40?
CPSC Warning 26-768 names Hererod jump starters/power banks with model numbers PW40 and EW40. Both combine a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with vehicle jump-start leads and small-device charging. CPSC says the PW40 also has a tyre-inflation function, while the EW40 does not. The PW40 model number appears on the front; the EW40 does not display its model number, making purchase records and product photographs more important for identification.
The agency says about 12,500 units were sold on Amazon, CarKart and eBay between August 2024 and August 2026. It is aware of 16 fires, seven involving property damage, and warns that the internal battery can explode and ignite. Consumers are told to stop using the products and follow local hazardous-waste procedures rather than place the device in household rubbish, general recycling or retail battery boxes.
- Models named by CPSC: PW40 and EW40
- Warning date: 17 September 2026
- Sales period: August 2024 through August 2026
- Reported events: 16 fires, including seven property-damage reports
- Sales channels named: Amazon, CarKart and eBay
Why is this more than another power-bank fire story?
A jump starter is not merely a phone power bank with larger marketing numbers. It must deliver a short, high-current output to a vehicle battery, and some products add an air compressor, light and USB outputs around the same internal battery system. UL Standards & Engagement places booster-function products and integral air compressors inside the scope of ANSI/CAN/UL 2743 for portable power packs; UL Solutions separately explains that ordinary phone-charging power banks fall under UL 2056 instead.
That scope distinction matters to sourcing teams because a product title containing “power bank” does not identify the complete safety evaluation. The exact architecture, booster output, battery pack, protection circuit, clamps, charger and any compressor function must be mapped to the intended standard and sale model. CPSC has not stated whether these Hererod units held or lacked any certification, so the warning should not be used to invent a certification conclusion.
What does the missing recall response change for buyers?
CPSC states that Qianjiang Simiaole Network Technology Co., Ltd. did not respond to requests for a recall or information. Without a cooperating firm, the public notice provides no manufacturer-run registration route, refund, replacement or collection programme; the immediate instruction is disposal through suitable local hazardous-waste channels. That turns a technical incident into a traceability and commercial-response problem for every importer, marketplace seller and brand owner in the chain.
ZIMONAI’s editorial judgement is that buyers should treat post-market response as a procurement deliverable. Before listing, the file should identify the legal manufacturer, US importer or other responsible commercial party, each marketplace SKU, battery and finished-product revision, complaint escalation route, affected-unit search method and funded remedy owner. Those records do not prevent every defect, but they determine whether a warning can become a targeted, measurable response instead of a broad disposal notice.
What buyers should establish now
What buyers should establish now
- Exact brand, model, marketplace SKU and product photographs for every listing
- Legal manufacturer and US importer or responsible seller identity
- Battery-cell and pack supplier, model, rated energy and production lot traceability
- Applicable finished-product standard and model-specific certification record
- High-current jump-start, protection, charging, drop, thermal and misuse test evidence
- Engineering-change control for the cell, BMS, enclosure, clamps, charger and compressor
- Complaint intake, incident escalation and regulator-contact ownership
- A funded stop-sale, notification, refund or disposal plan by sales channel
Sources and evidence
Sources and evidence
Facts in this note were checked against the following primary and independent sources. Links open the source publisher’s website.
- 01U.S. Consumer Product Safety CommissionCPSC urges consumers to stop using Hererod jump starters/power banks — 17 September 2026
- 02UL Standards & EngagementANSI/CAN/UL 2743 — Portable Power Packs, Third Edition
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