HearMuffs Kids Hearing Protection Recalled Over Burn Hazard

Children’s hearing protection product HearMuffs are designed to protect your kid’s ears at loud events like concerts and football games. But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on Thursday, warning that batteries in the HearMuffs—used to power the device for both “active” noise reduction and “soothe” modes—can rupture and potentially cause injuries.

“It has been determined the Vinnic brand AAA alkaline batteries included in the HearMuffs can rupture, posing hearing, projectile and/or burn injury,” the maker of HearMuffs, Lucid Audio, warned on its website.

“The HearMuffs were sold at Sam’s Club, Kroger and other stores nationwide and online from January 2018 through December 2021.”

Those other stores include Amazon, which has already pulled the product from sale online. Lucid Audio has received 19 reports of batteries rupturing but thankfully no reports of injuries.

The recall includes four models of HearMuffs, all of which use AAA batteries, including the LA-infant-AM-WH, LA-infant-ASM-WH, LA-infant-ASM-WHPlus, and LA-kids-AM-WH. Models that aren’t powered are not included in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall.

Consumers who are unsure if their HearMuffs are part of the recall can submit the serial number on their product at CPSC website. Consumers are then given direction directions on how to register their HearMuffs and receive free batteries.

Why has a recall been issued for HearMuffs headphones that contain Vinnic brand batteries but there doesn’t appear to be a recall of the batteries independently? If the remedy in this recall is simply to be sent replacement batteries, it would seem like the batteries themselves are the problem, and not the way that HearMuffs interact with the batteries.

Gizmodo had the same questions and has contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission for answers. We’ll update this post if we hear back.

Children’s hearing protection product HearMuffs are designed to protect your kid’s ears at loud events like concerts and football games. But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on Thursday, warning that batteries in the HearMuffs—used to power the device for both “active” noise reduction and “soothe” modes—can rupture and potentially cause injuries.

“It has been determined the Vinnic brand AAA alkaline batteries included in the HearMuffs can rupture, posing hearing, projectile and/or burn injury,” the maker of HearMuffs, Lucid Audio, warned on its website.

“The HearMuffs were sold at Sam’s Club, Kroger and other stores nationwide and online from January 2018 through December 2021.”

Those other stores include Amazon, which has already pulled the product from sale online. Lucid Audio has received 19 reports of batteries rupturing but thankfully no reports of injuries.

The recall includes four models of HearMuffs, all of which use AAA batteries, including the LA-infant-AM-WH, LA-infant-ASM-WH, LA-infant-ASM-WHPlus, and LA-kids-AM-WH. Models that aren’t powered are not included in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall.

Consumers who are unsure if their HearMuffs are part of the recall can submit the serial number on their product at CPSC website. Consumers are then given direction directions on how to register their HearMuffs and receive free batteries.

Why has a recall been issued for HearMuffs headphones that contain Vinnic brand batteries but there doesn’t appear to be a recall of the batteries independently? If the remedy in this recall is simply to be sent replacement batteries, it would seem like the batteries themselves are the problem, and not the way that HearMuffs interact with the batteries.

Gizmodo had the same questions and has contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission for answers. We’ll update this post if we hear back.