Amazon Deceptive Sales of 18650 Lithium-Ion Batteries Class Action

Amazon.com sells lithium-ion 18650 batteries. The complaint for this class action alleges that the company, when selling these batteries, makes false claims about both battery capacity and safety. The complaint alleges that Amazon’s statements are deceptive and may mislead consumers into buying batteries that are defective and dangerous.

The class for this action is all individuals or organizations that bought lithium-ion 18650 batteries or products containing such batteries from Amazon, between May 3, 2021 and the date the class is certified in this case.

The capacity of batteries is rated in milliamp-hours (mAh). According to the complaint, “The capacity of authentic lithium-ion 18650 batteries sold by legitimate manufacturers is under 3800 mAh.” The capacity of these batteries is limited by the features of their construction.

However, the complaint alleges that lithium-ion 18650 batteries for sale at Amazon “may list capacities ranging from less than 1300 aAh to 12000 mAh. Batteries are often listed with capacities of 9800 mAh or higher, more than double the capacity of any authentic 18650 lithium-ion battery produced by legitimate manufacturers. The deceptively marketed lithium-ion 18650 batteries frequently test at only a small percentage of their advertised capacity.”

Products listen on Amazon are assigned an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN). If a seller or product receives too many negative reviews, it will be removed from Amazon. However, the complaint alleges that the products are often put back “without any substantive quality control or review by Amazon.” They are simply given a different ASIN, the complaint says, and reposted without the earlier reviews.

Amazon is often the direct seller of dangerous products as well, the complaint claims: “Amazon has even developed [its] own portable lithium-ion battery packs and battery chargers, Amazon Basics Portable Power Banks. Amazon recalled six models of the Portable Power Banks in 2018 due to fire hazard.”

The complaint alleges that Amazon knew about the defective and dangerous battery packs because of negative product reviews: “Amazon customers complain that the batteries fail to reach the claimed capacity, cost too much for their actual capacity, arrive smaller than advertised, fail to include marketed safety features, and … are fire hazards.”

According to the complaint, Amazon is still listing for sale items that are falsely advertised and pose safety risks, despite negative reviews claiming the batteries “have burned or exploded.” In addition, the complaint alleges that such batteries and related devices are often advertised as having safety features that they do not have, such as automatic shut-off switches. The complaint alleges, “Absent any or all of these protective features, lithium-ion 18650 batteries pose a high risk of explosion or igniting.”

Between May 3 and August 1 of 2021, the complaint claims that over 72,000 reviews were entered on Amazon about 18650 lithium-ion batteries and products containing them.

The complaint alleges violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act and acts for declaratory judgment and declaratory relief.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Battery, Danger of Burns, Deceptive Advertising, Deceptive Labels, Fire