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A representative picture of a baby sleeping in a car. stock

KEY POINTS

  • The problem with the recalled baby monitors lies in the batteries
  • Affected customers should contact the company to get a replacement battery
  • Remove the affected battery even if the unit appears to be "acting normal"

A company has voluntarily recalled more than 17,000 baby monitors as they may overheat and burst.

The problem with Infanttech's Zooby video baby monitors for cars lies in the batteries, according to an announcement on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSC) website.

The battery may "malfunction, overheat and burst," thus posing potential fire hazard. There have been three reports of baby monitors catching fire. There are no injuries.

Customers who have the recalled unit should remove the affected batteries and can keep using the unit while plugged in. The company has provided instructions, with photos, on how to remove the batteries on its website.

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The recall affects some 17,100 units of Zooby car video baby monitors that were housed in plush animals like giraffe, fox, dog, rabbit and panda. The model number of batteries was 554050 and batch number was 2136. The information can be located on the batteries, which the company said was "the only affected model and batch." If the battery has the specific model number but the batch number is different, then it's not part of the recall as "only Batch: 2136 is recalled."

Infanttech first issued the battery defect notice in early May. Investigations revealed batteries with these specific markings are affected, while the others "have been cleared to use as normal."

The recalled units were sold online on infanttech.com and Amazon. Customers should contact Infanttech to get a free replacement battery, though the company is contacting all known buyers.

All affected customers should remove the batteries as a precaution even if their units appear to be "acting normal," the company stressed. Use the units as a wired baby monitor until the replacement battery arrives.

The company also shared some important tips on safe battery usage for rechargeable electronic devices, including not overcharging the unit and only charging them as per the instructions.

"We appreciate your understanding and patience as we are working diligently to solve this matter and apologize for the temporary inconvenience," it said.

Those with questions about the recall can contact the company at hello@infanttech.com.