554,780 Kobalt Power Tool Batteries Recalled Over USB-C Fire Risk

Greenworks Tools has recalled roughly 554,780 Kobalt-branded lawn and garden power tools sold through Lowe's because their batteries can catch fire.

The problem: 24V and 48V lithium-ion batteries with a built-in USB-C charging port can short-circuit if the battery is charged over USB-C while it's still plugged into the tool, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC says it has received 34 reports of these batteries "producing smoke, sparking or catching fire while the batteries are inserted in the tool and charging with the USB-C port." No injuries and no property damage have been reported so far.

What's covered

The recall covers multiple Kobalt models built for yard work: trimmers, blowers, chainsaws, mowers, and pruning saws. All of them use the 24V or 48V battery packs with the USB-C charging port design.

These tools were sold at Lowe's stores and on Lowe's website from January 2026 through May 2026, priced between $20 and $482 depending on the tool. A full model-by-model list is posted on both the CPSC's website and a dedicated recall page Greenworks Tools set up.

What owners should do

Greenworks isn't asking people to trash the tools. The company is offering free replacement batteries.

The new battery removes the USB-C port entirely and comes with a separate charging adapter instead. Owners also get an updated manual, a warning sticker to apply to the tool, and a prepaid shipping label to send back the recalled battery.

Consumers who bought one of the affected tools need to go through a registration form on Greenworks' site to start that process. The CPSC is pointing people to that same form rather than a store return, since this is a manufacturer-run replacement program, not a refund.

The obvious question: why put USB-C on a lawn mower battery in the first place

USB-C charging on power tool batteries sounds convenient. You can plug it into any USB-C brick or power bank instead of hauling around a dedicated charger. But this recall shows the tradeoff. Charging a high-draw lithium battery through a small USB-C port while it's still seated in a power-hungry tool creates a short-circuit risk that a dedicated charging cradle, physically separate from the tool, doesn't have.

Greenworks' fix underscores this point. The replacement battery removes USB-C altogether in favor of a standard external adapter. That's a hardware redesign that walks back the original feature.

No class action, lawsuit, or CPSC penalty has been announced against Greenworks Tools as of this writing. This is a voluntary recall coordinated with the CPSC, which is the standard process for consumer product safety issues in the U.S. and doesn't by itself indicate wrongdoing beyond the product defect itself.

What's unresolved

The CPSC's count of 34 fire/smoke incidents came from reports nationwide, so it's unclear how many of the 554,780 units were actually charged the risky way (attached to the tool via USB-C) versus charged with a separate charger, if one was included. It's also unclear how many owners will actually complete the registration process, since recall participation rates for tools like this are typically well below 100%.

Anyone who owns a Kobalt trimmer, blower, chainsaw, mower, or pruning saw bought at Lowe's since January 2026 should check the model number against the CPSC's list immediately and stop charging the battery over USB-C while it's attached to the tool in the meantime.