LG has announced a battery recall with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) advising customers to switch off affected batteries immediately.
When these batteries malfunction there is a serious risk of injury or death due to the affected batteries overheating and causing a fire.
LG is now instructing all consumers with affected LG batteries in their solar energy storage system – which may be branded LG, SolaX, Opal, Red Earth, Eguana or VARTA - to switch their energy storage system off immediately and to keep it switched off until they are remediated.
Consumers with affected LG batteries will get a free battery replacement or a software update, or a refund.
ACCC deputy chair, Catriona Lowe, said consumers need to check their battery’s serial number.
“Even if you don’t have an LG-branded solar storage system, you may still have an LG branded battery that has been recalled. For peace of mind – check your system again and turn off your battery straight away if it has been recalled,” Lowe said.
About 8,000 affected LG batteries remain at risk in homes across Australia. The affected batteries were manufactured by LG and installed in LG branded systems as well as in systems sold under other brands, such as SolaX, and in unbranded systems. Concerningly, about 6,000 of these batteries have not yet been located.
“The solar battery recalls have expanded recently to include new models. Even if you have already checked whether your battery is affected by the recalls, check it again via the LG website, and turn off your LG battery straight away if it has been recalled,” Lowe said.
“LG will provide a refund, replacement or software update to fix the problem, and has also committed to paying compensation to consumers who incur higher energy bills while their system is switched off.”