Apple Voluntarily Recalls Some Older Three-Prong Wall Plug Adapters Due to Risk of Electrical Shock

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced a voluntary recall of three-prong AC wall plug adapters designed for use primarily in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Apple states that, in very rare cases, affected Apple three-prong wall plug adapters may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched. These wall plug adapters shipped with Mac and certain iOS devices between 2003 and 2010 and were also included in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit.

Apple says it is aware of six incidents worldwide and asks customers to stop using affected plug adapters, citing customer safety as a "top priority." Apple will exchange affected wall plug adapters with a new adapter, free of charge.

I just thought my broken one was a one off, was going to bin it. pic.twitter.com/j8kp6MeNoN - Stephen Cooper (@kebablog) April 25, 2019

Affected three-prong wall plug adapters are white, with no letters in the inside slot where it attaches to an Apple power adapter. New adapters are white with gray on the inside portion that attaches to the power adapter.

The recall does not affect any USB power adapters, like those included in the box with iPhones and iPads, according to Apple.

If you are impacted, read the recall program details and then head to Apple's Get Support page to initiate the exchange process.

In January 2016, Apple initiated a similar voluntary recall program for two-prong AC wall plug adapters designed for use in Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil due to the same risk of electrical shock if touched. These wall plug adapters shipped from 2003 to 2015.

Article Link: Apple Voluntarily Recalls Some Older Three-Prong Wall Plug Adapters Due to Risk of Electrical Shock

 

[MrGimper]

Will have to go through my adapters as I have a whole ton of 3 pronged ones

 

[IRockThat828pScreen]

Prepare for the Forbes article "Apple Admits Its Charging Bricks Have A Huge Problem"

 

[SlaunchaMan]

These must be fairly old; I bought the world travel kit over a year ago and mine is the newer one with the gray on the inside.

EDIT: I found the receipt. Mine is from April 17, 2015 and is the newer model.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

This happened to a 2-pronged US one. My kid walked past it and bumped into it sideways and the pronged part that slides off snapped, remaining plugged into the wall and leaving exposed metal contacts.

 

[Gorms]

Some of the affected units would be nearly 20 years old???

 

[MadDawg2020]

These must be fairly old; I bought the world travel kit over a year ago and mine is the newer one with the gray on the inside.

EDIT: I found the receipt. Mine is from April 17, 2015 and is the newer model.

Okay - thanks for the update - I was worried about you!

 

[cerberusss]

I am a secret agent, and always carry a handful of these three-prong things. Whenever I am chased, I drop them on the ground because they make for terrific caltrops.

 

[AnonMac50]

I have a whole lot of these all over the place, if I find one I might bring it in to the Apple Store to get it replaced.

 

[Apple a Day]

This makes me mad because I went through this recall process months ago for the recall program for the other plugs in the worldwide adaptor kit, excluding those mentioned in this article. They didn’t just swap my adaptor kit out because these were specifically excluded. Now I have to go through the entire process for the remaining adaptors. Lame Apple.

 

[az431]

This makes me mad because I went through this recall process months ago for the recall program for the other plugs in the worldwide adaptor kit, excluding those mentioned in this article. They didn’t just swap my adaptor kit out because these were specifically excluded. Now I have to go through the entire process for the remaining adaptors. Lame Apple.

Your expectation is that someone at Apple should have employed their psychic powers to predict that a product not under recall when you went it in, would be subject to a recall in the future?


[doublepost=1556198227][/doublepost]

These must be fairly old; I bought the world travel kit over a year ago and mine is the newer one with the gray on the inside.

EDIT: I found the receipt. Mine is from April 17, 2015 and is the newer model.

You dodged a bullet.

 

[OzyOly]

Yup, I've got one of those. From my 2009 MBP when I lived in the UK.

 

[HiVolt]

This happened to a 2-pronged US one. My kid walked past it and bumped into it sideways and the pronged part that slides off snapped, remaining plugged into the wall and leaving exposed metal contacts.

Yeah, long time ago though. The ones that came with the Original iPhone or 3G? I do recall getting a replacement with the green dot.

 

[oeyvind]

and the new ones still have no metal contact for earth grounding!

 

[AngerDanger]

Apple states that, in very rare cases, affected Apple three-prong wall plug adapters may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched.

That is of course assuming you haven't impaled your foot on one of those bad boys first. Between these and LEGO, I'm beginning to think the uk has it out for feet.

 

[LoadStar]

Hmm. I have some of the Apple World Travel Adapter Kits, and they have a grey insert but with *no* lettering. Apple only references a white insert with no lettering, and a grey insert with lettering.

 

[DrBrush]

Those pictures of the old vs new nicely highlight a problem with all the newer Apple plugs, which is that they are designed for people with smaller fingers. I find it physically quite difficult to grip the new plugs and remove them from the wall. But hey, light and thin must be better, eh?

 

[Loge]

Hmm. I have some of the Apple World Travel Adapter Kits, and they have a grey insert but with *no* lettering. Apple only references a white insert with no lettering, and a grey insert with lettering.

Apple's website states

"Affected three-prong wall plug adapters are white, with no letters in the inside slot where it attaches to an Apple power adapter. New adapters are white with gray on the inside portion that attaches to the power adapter."

This suggests that all grey ones are unaffected regardless of lettering. Interestingly the one shown as broken in the article looks like a new one (with no lettering).

 

[Vanilla35]

I am a secret agent, and always carry a handful of these three-prong things. Whenever I am chased, I drop them on the ground because they make for terrific caltrops.

I respect your resourcefulness. You should also keep a few G Note 7's in your other pocket for occasional claymore operation.

 

[Kebabselector]

Just to update my original tweet....

https://twitter.com/kebablog/status/1121415705428099072

Also just noticed only one (the correct version according to Apple) has the CE marking which I assume means they shouldn't have been shipped in the UK - they are marked with a bs 5733/a number - but I thought CE was the UK/European standard marking.

 

[BornAgainMac]

and the new ones still have no metal contact for earth grounding!

And they come in "Space" Grey?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Yeah, long time ago though. The ones that came with the Original iPhone or 3G? I do recall getting a replacement with the green dot.

This was a newer iPad charger, not one of the little iPhone cube chargers. The kind where you can slide off the prong piece and replace it with an international piece or an extension cord. That part slid off and broke in half at the same time, and remained in the wall with the prongs exposed.

 

[lunarworks]

Guys, why are your plugs so needlessly large?

 

[Kebabselector]

Interestingly the one shown as broken in the article looks like a new one (with no lettering).

Yes it is....

[doublepost=1556203377][/doublepost]

Guys, why are your plugs so needlessly large?

Ironically it's for safety - the plugs are fused and the larger earth pin pushes a slider in the socket allowing access to the live/neutral pins.

 

[whooleytoo]

The three-prong plugs are also used in Ireland, though I'm sure anyone potentially affected by this issue in Ireland would already know that.