One small USB-C charging port turned more than half a million “smart” yard tools into a quiet fire risk sitting in American garages.
Story Snapshot
- About 554,780 Kobalt 24-volt and 48-volt yard tools and batteries are under recall for fire risk
- Charging the USB-C lithium-ion battery while it is still inserted in the tool can cause a short circuit and start a fire
- Regulators have logged 34 cases of these batteries smoking, sparking, or catching fire so far
- The recall shows a bigger problem with high-power lithium batteries and “universal” charging ports in everyday tools
Hundreds of thousands of tools pulled after hidden fire danger
Greenworks Tools, the company behind the Kobalt brand at Lowe’s, is recalling about 554,780 yard power tools and lithium-ion batteries due to a fire hazard associated with their USB-C charging design.
These are cordless tools people use every week: trimmers, blowers, lawn mowers, chainsaws, and pruning saws, all running on 24-volt and 48-volt Kobalt batteries with built-in USB-C ports. For many owners, that battery looked like a handy upgrade. It is now the focus of a federal safety warning.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says the problem occurs when these batteries are charged via the USB-C port while still locked in the tool.
In that situation, the battery can short-circuit and enter what engineers call thermal runaway, in which heat builds up quickly inside the cells and can lead to smoke, sparks, or open flame.
That failure mode matches what experts see in many lithium-ion fires when charging systems are poorly separated from high-voltage tool circuits.
What went wrong inside the USB-C battery system
The recall targets Kobalt-branded batteries with USB-C charging ports sold in several sizes, including 3.0-amp-hour, 4.0-amp-hour, 5.0-amp-hour, 6.0-amp-hour, and 8.0-amp-hour units.
The 3.0- and 6.0-amp-hour batteries were also sold separately, outside of tool kits, so some buyers may have spare batteries sitting on a shelf.
Greenworks warns that charging these batteries via the USB-C port while inserted into any compatible yard tool can cause short-circuiting and pose a serious fire hazard. That suggests the charging path was never fully isolated from the tool’s power system.
Lowe's has recalled over 500,000 Kobalt tools because of a risk of fire due to defective batteries. Are you affected? Here's everything you need to know. https://t.co/SofBKeFPWI
— SlashGear (@slashgear) July 13, 2026
Federal regulators have documented 34 reports of these batteries smoking, sparking, or catching fire during USB-C charging while installed in a tool. So far, there are no confirmed injuries or property damage in the official reports. That lack of injuries is good news, but it should not lead families to shrug off the risk.
Fire officials and safety lawyers point out that lithium-ion fires start quickly, can be very hard to extinguish, and often occur in garages packed with fuel, paint, and other flammable materials.
How this recall fits a wider lithium battery problem
This is not an isolated freak case. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received at least 25,000 reports of lithium battery fires or related events over a five-year period across many products, from tools to scooters.
Regulators in Canada have tracked over a thousand incidents linked to USB chargers and related devices, underscoring how often heat and poor design combine in these systems.
When companies bolt a “universal” USB-C port onto high-power batteries, they add convenience but also open another door to heat and failure if the design is sloppy.
⚠️Recall Alert – Greenworks Tools⚠️
Greenworks Tools Recalls 24V and 48V Kobalt Yard Power Tools with USB-C Batteries Due to Risk of Serious Injury from Fire Hazard
Recall Details
Description:
This recall involves Kobalt yard power tools, including trimmers, blowers, mowers,… pic.twitter.com/4mW41io0rc— Consumer Watch (@Consumer__Watch) July 9, 2026
From this viewpoint, this case hits a familiar nerve. Consumers did their job. They bought legal products from a major retailer and used the tools as designed. The failure stemmed from engineering and a rush to market with a flashy charging feature.
Regulators now step in after dozens of dangerous incidents, but the real burden falls on the company that chose the design and the retailer that promoted it.
What owners should do right now
Consumers who own affected Kobalt tools should stop charging the batteries via the USB-C port while the batteries are inserted in any yard tool. The current recall offers free replacement batteries that do not include USB-C ports, plus return shipping for the recalled units.
Owners need to fill out an online form with Greenworks Tools to register the product and arrange for the replacement. That process protects the household and sends a market signal that unsafe battery designs carry a real cost for companies.
The recall covers tools and batteries sold through Lowe’s stores nationwide and on the Lowe’s website from January 2026 through May 2026, with prices ranging from about $20 to nearly $500 per tool or kit. That sales window is short, but the volume is large, which means many of these batteries are still in use.
For any reader with a Kobalt logo in the garage, the simplest rule is this: check the battery for a USB-C port, verify the model against the recall, and if it matches, get it out of service and into the replacement program before the next yard project.
Sources:
foxbusiness.com, morningoverview.com, cpsc.gov, greenworkstools.com, canada.ca, singletonschreiber.com
