The recalled INIU power bank detail to look for, the paw-print LED and specific serial numbers

Portable chargers are supposed to be the quiet workhorses in your bag, not a source of fire risk on your desk or nightstand. If you bought an INIU power bank on Amazon, there is one very specific design cue and a narrow band of serial numbers you now need to treat as a red flag: the paw-print LED on the front and the batch codes tied to a nationwide safety recall.

Instead of guessing whether your slim black or blue battery is affected, you can confirm it in a few careful steps, starting with the model name, then the distinctive paw-shaped light pattern, and finally the exact serial sequence printed on the back. Once you know what to look for, you can decide whether to stop using the device immediately and follow the recall process that INIU and federal regulators have laid out.

Why this particular INIU power bank is under recall

You are not being asked to scrutinize every portable charger you own, only a very specific product that regulators say can overheat and ignite. The recall centers on INIU 10,000mAh portable power banks in model BI-B41, a compact unit that was marketed as a high speed 5V/3A charger and sold as an everyday carry gadget for phones and tablets. Safety officials describe a defect in the lithium ion battery cells that can cause the unit to overheat, creating both fire and burn hazards when the device is charging or stored.

According to federal Recall Details, the affected INIU 10,000mAh Power Banks are identified as model BI-B41 and were sold primarily on Amazon, where the brand promoted them as slim, travel friendly chargers. A separate legal summary notes that more than 200,000 of these INIU devices were distributed through Amazon, and another report from safety regulators puts the total closer to 210,000 recalled Power Banks, underscoring how widely this single model spread before problems surfaced.

The paw-print LED: the quickest visual clue

The fastest way to decide whether you should be worried is to flip the charger over and look at the front face when it is powered on. The recalled INIU BI-B41 power banks have a distinctive paw-print LED arrangement, with four small indicator lights forming the shape of an animal paw instead of the straight line of dots you see on many generic chargers. That playful design cue, which once served as a branding flourish, has now become a practical warning sign that your unit might be part of the recall.

Product recall summaries describe the affected INIU Power Banks as having a black or blue case with the brand name printed on the front and the paw-shaped light pattern near the top, a detail echoed in legal alerts that highlight the paw-print LED as a key way to distinguish these units from other chargers. One consumer law briefing on INIU Power Banks notes that the recalled devices are slim rectangular blocks with USB ports on one end and the paw-print light on the front, a combination that should prompt you to move on to the more precise checks of model and serial number.

Model BI-B41 and how to confirm you have it

Once you have spotted the paw-print LED, the next step is to verify the exact model designation, because INIU sells multiple chargers that look broadly similar. The recall is limited to the INIU 10,000mAh 5V/3A Power Bank, identified as Model BI-B41, which was sold in Black and in at least one blue variant. You can usually find “Model BI-B41” printed on the back of the casing in small text near the capacity information, alongside the 10,000mAh rating and the input and output specifications.

Coverage of the recall notes that The INIU 10000mAh 5V/3A Power Bank, Model BI-B41, in Black was the primary configuration sold on Amazon, where it was marketed as one of the slimmest power banks available. Official recall language describes the Product as an INIU 10,000mAh portable power bank, model BI-B41, with a black or blue case and the paw-print LED, and stresses that only this model and specific serial ranges are included in the recall.

The exact serial numbers tied to the fire risk

Even within the BI-B41 family, only certain production batches are affected, which is why the serial number on the back of the device matters so much. INIU’s Voluntary Recall Notice for Specific Batches BI-B41 explains that you should look for a serial code printed in a small block of text, often near the bottom edge, that combines letters and numbers indicating the production run. The company has identified a narrow set of these codes as part of the recall, and anything outside that range is not currently listed as defective.

Legal and consumer safety summaries spell out that the recall covers BI-B41 Power Banks with serial numbers that include specific sequences such as “000G21”, “000H21”, “000I21”, and “000L21”, which are tied to the problematic manufacturing batches. One advisory on INIU brand power banks lists those four codes explicitly as part of the recall, and INIU’s own European Voluntary Recall Notice for Specific Batches BI repeats the same serial endings, instructing you to compare the last five characters of your serial number to “000G21”, “000H21”, “000I21”, and “000L21” to decide whether your Power Banks qualify for the recall program.

Where these chargers were sold and how they were marketed

Part of what makes this recall so sweeping is that the BI-B41 was not a niche gadget sold in a corner of the internet, it was a mainstream accessory pushed through one of the largest online marketplaces in the world. The affected INIU power banks were sold almost exclusively on Amazon, where they were positioned as affordable, slimline chargers with fast 5V/3A output and enough capacity to recharge a smartphone multiple times. Product listings highlighted the paw-print LED as a cute way to show remaining battery life, turning what is now a safety cue into a selling point.

Search results for the INIU BI-B41 product show the familiar rectangular silhouette, USB ports on one end, and the paw-print LED on the front, with marketing copy emphasizing portability and airline friendly capacity. A detailed news report from WASHINGTON notes that the portable power bank was sold to more than 200,000 consumers, retailed for about $18, and was promoted as a compact way to keep phones charged on the go, which helps explain how quickly it spread into backpacks, purses, and desk drawers across the country.

What went wrong: overheating, fires, and reported damage

The recall is not a theoretical exercise about what might happen if a battery fails, it is a response to real incidents in homes and workplaces. Safety regulators report that INIU has received multiple complaints of the BI-B41 power banks overheating, with some units igniting and causing property damage when left charging or stored after use. In several cases, the chargers reportedly scorched surfaces or started small fires that required intervention, turning a convenience gadget into a genuine hazard.

One detailed account notes that the recalled portable power bank caused more than $380,000 in property damage before the recall was announced, a figure tied to fires that investigators linked back to the BI-B41 units. A legal summary of the recall states that more than 200,000 INIU portable chargers sold on Amazon are being recalled after the devices caused at least a series of fires, while a separate safety bulletin notes that The CPSC said about 210,000 INIU BI-B41 Power Banks are being recalled and that INIU has received 15 reports of the power banks overheating, including at least 7 reports of fires and 2 reports of burn injuries.

How to check your INIU power bank step by step

If you own an INIU charger, you can work through a simple checklist to decide whether it is part of the recall. Start by examining the front of the device for the paw-print LED pattern, then flip it over to find the model number printed near the capacity information. If you see “Model BI-B41” and a 10,000mAh rating, you are dealing with the same family of devices that regulators have flagged, and you should move on to the serial number check.

Guidance on How to check if your power bank is affected explains that the serial number is printed on the back of the device, often in a faint gray font, and that you should compare the last five characters to the recalled codes “000G21”, “000H21”, “000I21”, and “000L21”. INIU’s own Voluntary Recall Notice for Specific Batches BI in the U.S. echoes this process, instructing you to verify whether your BI-B41 10,000mAh Power Banks match the listed serial endings and, if they do, to stop using the device immediately and proceed to the recall program.

What INIU and regulators say you should do next

If your charger matches both the model and the recalled serial numbers, the guidance from both INIU and safety regulators is clear: stop using it right away. You should unplug the power bank from any wall charger or device, avoid charging it further, and store it in a nonflammable area until you can complete the recall steps. The goal is to minimize the chance of overheating while you arrange a remedy, whether that is a refund, replacement, or other compensation.

INIU’s recall page outlines What You Should Do, including filling out an online form with your serial number and proof of purchase so the company can confirm that your unit qualifies for the recall program. A community summary of the recall on Note also relays the official advice not to throw this recalled lithium ion battery or device in the trash or general recycling stream, and instead to follow local guidance for battery disposal once INIU has processed your claim and provided instructions for returning or safely discarding the unit that was manufactured in China.

Why this recall matters for every portable battery you own

Even if your own charger turns out to be safe, the INIU recall is a reminder that lithium ion batteries are powerful chemical systems that can fail in dangerous ways when something goes wrong in design or manufacturing. You rely on these cells in phones, laptops, e-bikes, and power banks, and the same basic risks of overheating and thermal runaway apply across categories, especially when devices are left charging unattended or stored in hot environments. Treating every battery pack with a bit more respect, from how you charge it to where you store it, can reduce the odds that a defect turns into a fire in your home.

Coverage of the INIU recall from multiple outlets, including a detailed report on INIU power banks facing recall for possible fire risk, underscores that even relatively low cost gadgets can have outsized consequences when they fail. The fact that more than 200,000 units of a single model were sold before the problem was widely recognized shows how quickly a design can propagate through online marketplaces, and why it is worth taking a few minutes to check the paw-print LED, the BI-B41 model label, and those specific serial numbers on any INIU Power Banks you own.

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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.