MOORESVILLE, N.C., July 11 (Nationwide Times) — More than 550,000 Kobalt yard tools are being recalled in the United States because a USB-C rechargeable battery can short-circuit if it is charged while still inserted in the tool, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall covers about 554,780 Kobalt 24V and 48V yard power tools sold at Lowe’s stores nationwide and at Lowes.com from January through May 2026. The CPSC said the affected products include string trimmers, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chainsaws, pruning saws, power cleaners and bristle brush kits.
What went wrong
The problem involves certain lithium-ion batteries with USB-C charging ports in 3.0Ah, 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, 6.0Ah and 8.0Ah sizes. Ah, or amp-hours, is a battery capacity rating.
According to the CPSC, charging the battery through the USB-C port while it remains in the yard tool can cause the battery to short-circuit, creating a fire hazard. Greenworks Tools, which imported the products, told the commission it had received 34 reports of batteries smoking, sparking or catching fire during that charging process. The CPSC said no injuries or property damage had been reported.
What consumers should do
The CPSC said people should stop charging the recalled batteries through the USB-C port while the batteries are inserted in the tools. Greenworks Tools is offering a free replacement battery without a USB-C port, plus a charger adapter, updated product manual, warning label and prepaid shipping label to return the recalled battery.
The recall number is 26-611.
Why the recall has a local tie
Greenworks North America LLC, which does business as Greenworks Tools, is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The company said the recalled products were manufactured in China and Vietnam.
For consumers, the key point is simple: if a Kobalt yard tool has one of the recalled USB-C batteries, do not use that charging method until the replacement arrives.
