Columbia Sportswear Reannounces Its Recall of Batteries Sold With Jackets Due To Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Omni-Heat™ Lithium-Polymer Rechargeable Batteries

Units: About 66 batteries (33 jackets with two battery packs each)

Importer: Columbia Sportswear Company, of Portland, Ore.

Hazard: The batteries have a cell defect which can cause overheating, posing a fire hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm received one report of an overheating battery in Europe. No incidents or injuries were reported in the U.S.

Description: This recall involves battery packs that power heating systems in jackets. The black battery packs are 3.25 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 0.7 inches deep and marked with “Columbia” on the top and “OMNI-HEAT™” on the bottom of the pack. Part number 054978-001 is printed on the side of the battery label.

Two battery packs were included with styles from:
Fall 2011 Mens: Electro Amp™ Jacket (SM7864) and Circuit Breaker™ Softshell (SM7855)
Fall 2011 Womens: Circuit Breaker™ Softshell (SL7856); Snow Hottie™ Jacket (SL7866), and Snow Hottie™ Parka (SL7853).

Sold at: The recalled battery packs were sold with Columbia electric jackets sold by Columbia online and at Columbia Sportswear stores in the cities and states listed below between September and November 2012 for about $260.

The nine Columbia Sportswear outlets that carried the jackets with battery packs are located in:

Sunrise, Fla. 33304
Wrentham, Mass. 02093
Birch Run, Mich. 48415-9496
Albertville, Minn. 55301
Central Valley, N.Y. 10917
Las Vegas, Nev. 89106
Grove City, Penn. 16127
Park City, Utah 84098
Pleasant Prairie, Wis. 53158-1705

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately check the battery packs included with the electric jacket to determine if they are part of the recall. Those with affected batteries should immediately remove the affected battery pack(s) from the jacket and contact Columbia Sportswear for a free replacement.

Consumer Contact: Columbia Sportswear Company at (800) 622-6953 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, by email at [email protected], or visit the firm’s website at www.Columbia.com/Recall