News

HotHands and Gobi Heat rechargeable hand warmers recalled for fire risk

• Recalls
• Primary source
• Independent, not affiliated with SpaceX

Event date

Oct 1, 2026

Effective

Oct 1, 2026

Published

Oct 6, 2026

Last updated

Oct 6, 2026

What changed at a glance

What changed

On October 1, 2026, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced two recalls of rechargeable lithium-ion hand warmers:

• HotHands rechargeable hand warmers from Kobayashi, model H163650, about 77,000 units in the US (recall 27-011). Only the electric rechargeable warmers with the white HotHands logo are included; the model and batch number are on the underside. They were sold at Bass Pro Shops, Meijer, Target, The Home Depot, other stores and online, including Amazon.com, from July 2025 through August 2026, for about $30 to $40.
• Gobi Heat rechargeable hand warmers, model UT3053, about 5,500 units (recall 27-009). They were sold on GobiHeat.com from October 2024 through August 2026, for about $20 to $40.

Both are sold in packs of two warmers that join magnetically, charge over a USB-C port, and have LED indicator lights and a silicone lanyard. The CPSC gives the same hazard for both:

“The lithium-ion battery and electrical components in the recalled hand warmers can overheat and ignite, posing a risk of serious injury from fire and burn hazards.”

Neither notice reports injuries. The remedy for both is a refund. Gobi Heat also offers store credit worth the purchase price plus 20%.

These follow a much larger recall of the same kind of product. On July 30, 2026, the CPSC announced OCOOPA Direct’s recall of about 1.5 million OCOOPA rechargeable hand warmers (recall 26-659), after 1,480 reports of overheating, 15 fires, 350 burn injuries and one death. That recall’s model list includes UT3053, the same model number as the Gobi Heat warmers.

Who it affects

Anyone with HotHands electric warmers (model H163650, white logo) or Gobi Heat warmers (model UT3053). HotHands’ disposable air-activated warmers aren’t lithium-ion devices and aren’t part of this recall.

These are winter gear, and winter is when a lot of Mini owners are packing for cold-weather trips, ice fishing or a snowed-in cabin. That puts small lithium warmers in the same bag as power banks, cables and the dish.

What it means for your power setup

Nothing changes about how you power a Mini. A hand warmer can’t run one and isn’t designed to. The reason to check is that it’s another lithium-ion pack in your kit, often charged from the same USB-C bank or power station, and often kept in a pocket or a closed bag, where overheating is hardest to notice.

If you fly, every lithium device in your carry-on counts toward airline rules; our flying guide covers them. For cold-weather power planning, see our winter off-grid guide and the batteries hub.

What to do

1. Check any rechargeable hand warmers for the model number on the underside: H163650 with a white HotHands logo, or UT3053 with Gobi Heat branding. If you have OCOOPA warmers, check them against the July 2026 OCOOPA notice too.
2. If they match, stop using them, per the CPSC.
3. HotHands: get a claim number at hothands.com/recall-notice-rechargeable, write “Recalled” and the claim number on the warmer in permanent marker, and submit a photo showing the model and batch number. Kobayashi: 866-534-9986 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, weekdays) or Kobayashi5236@sedgwick.com.
4. Gobi Heat: get a claim number at gobiheat.com/pages/handwarmer-recall, mark the warmer “Recalled” and email a photo showing the marking and the model to recall@gobiheat.com. Phone: 888-462-4743 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, weekdays).
5. Don’t put them in the trash or curbside recycling. The CPSC advises asking your local household hazardous waste site whether it takes recalled lithium-ion batteries.

What stays the same

• Starlink’s power requirements for the Mini: unchanged.
• HotHands air-activated disposable warmers: not part of this recall.
• No product on our bench list is affected.

What we don’t know yet

• Who made the warmers. Neither notice names a manufacturer beyond the country (China).
• Whether the HotHands, Gobi Heat and OCOOPA warmers share a maker. The shared model number UT3053 suggests a common design, but the CPSC notices don’t say so, so we don’t either.