Australian Watchdog Warns of Potentially Unsafe LG Batteries

By Kwanwoo Jun

Australia's consumer watchdog warned of 5,000 potentially flawed LG batteries, which can overheat and catch fire, at homes across the country.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Monday issued a "proposed recall notice" following its previous recommendation for consumers to check and switch off their solar-energy storage systems if carrying LG batteries currently subject to voluntary recalls, and have them replaced immediately for safety.

Thirteen incidents of property damage have been linked to these batteries across Australia, with a house having been destroyed in Victoria state, the ACCC said.

"A proposed recall notice is a formal step towards a compulsory recall, and highlights the serious risk posed by the around 5000 affected LG solar storage batteries that have not yet been located," ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said in a statement.

Lowe suggested that the ACCC and LG Energy Solution, the supplier of batteries used in the affected energy storage systems, including those branded as SolaX and others, have a follow-up conference to address the issue.

"LG Energy Solution is committed to providing a comprehensive explanation to the ACCC through a dedicated conference in the next stage of the [proposed recall notice] process," the South Korean company said in a statement Monday.

"LG Energy Solution remains committed to engaging with the ACCC about progressing the recalls and engaging in this process with utmost sincerity."

LG and SolaX have helped customers with battery replacements, refunds or software updates at no cost under the current voluntary recalls, according to the ACCC.

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 05, 2024 04:07 ET (09:07 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.