'Urgent recall': LG to find and fix thousands of dangerous batteries

Since 2020, LG has voluntarily recalled around 18,000 potentially hazardous batteries but there are 4,400 batteries unaccounted for.

On Monday, May 27, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), announced that LG has committed to upping its efforts to alert and protect consumers.

The court-enforceable undertaking requires LG to implement a widespread campaign about the batteries' safety risks and to try to ensure all batteries are fixed within 12 months.

According to the ACCC, there have been 15 incidents of property damage in Australia caused by the solar batteries, including a house in Victoria that was completely destroyed.

ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said they were urging consumers to check if their solar batteries were impacted by the LG recalls.

"If you have an affected battery, including one that has already received a software update, switch it off and contact LG urgently," Ms Lowe said.

Ms Lowe said LG would fix or replace affected batteries, and provide compensation for higher energy bills while people's batteries were switched off.

ACCC has said they were investigating one incident where a battery caught fire despite software updates to rectify defects.

"The ACCC is extremely concerned by this development, and we are keeping a close watch," Ms Lowe said.

"LG has agreed to replace these affected batteries or provide refunds to consumers if investigations conclude that a software update is no longer an appropriate remedy," she said

ACCC was concerned that LG's campaign to date was not adequately alerting customers.

Earlier this year, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones suggested a compulsory recall following concerns that LG had not done enough to prevent injuries caused by the faulty batteries.

ACCC said a compulsory recall notice was not necessary given the new commitments from LG.

If LG fails to comply with the undertaking, ACCC can seek enforceable orders from the federal court.

Other types of batteries found around the home have caused blazes throughout Australia.

In early 2024, Fire and Rescue NSW responded to four separate lithium-ion battery fires in one day, and two women died in a battery-caused flame in Teralba.

In Warrnambool, Victoria a fire in a top-floor apartment was suspected to be started by an electrical fault.

Emergency services in the ACT responded to at least 16 fires involving batteries from July 2020 to 2021.