A tobacco giant is issuing a voluntary recall of millions of a widely popular vaping device due to consumer complaints about overheating batteries.
The R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, a subsidiary of North Carolina based cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc., announced Friday a national safety recall of the battery unit for the Vuse Vibe vape pen, a widely used product available in convenience stores across the country. Officials at Reynolds said they made the decision after receiving 10 complaints about overheating batteries but stressed “no injuries have been reported,” reports U.S. News and World Report.
The voluntary recall of the Vuse Vibe battery impacts roughly 2.6 million consumer devices.
“The Company initiated the recall after receiving consumer complaints about malfunctioning batteries, which may cause the power unit to overheat and create a fire risk,” representatives of R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company said in a statement. “All consumers who have Vuse Vibe vapor products should stop using the product and not charge the power unit.”
Vapor products under the Vuse brand are among the top selling e-cigarettes in the country. Vuse currently represents nearly 20 percent of sales in the vapor market. The brand previously dominated the vaping industry but has faced stiff competition over the last year from Juul, which now holds a 54.6 percent market share, reports the Winston-Salem Journal.
Officials at R.J. Reynolds note their other popular products, the Vuse Solo and Vuse Ciro, use different battery units and are unaffected by the recall. They say they are investigating the incidents and are committed to getting the Vuse Vibe safely back on the market.
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