Kobalt Yard Power Tools Recall: How to Check and Get a Free Replacement
Greenworks Tools recalled approximately 554,780 Kobalt-branded yard power tools last week after 34 documented reports of batteries smoking, sparking, or catching fire. The trigger in every case was the same: charging the battery through its USB-C port while it remained seated inside the tool. The CPSC has classified the remedy as a free replacement battery, not a revised charging routine, and the recall is active now.
The Kobalt yard power tools recall covers trimmers, blowers, mowers, chainsaws, pruning saws, power cleaners, and bristle brush kits across the 24V and 48V Kobalt line, plus standalone battery packs sold separately, according to KTVU. Prices ranged from $20 to $482. These were sold as spring-season inventory at a single national retailer, and many are still in active rotation.
Two steps matter here: stop charging any affected battery through its USB-C port while it is still in the tool, and register for a replacement. Both are covered below.
How to check whether your Kobalt tool or battery is part of the Lowe's Kobalt recall
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The check takes about ten seconds. Pull the battery off the tool and look at the casing. If it has a USB-C charging port, it is included in the recall. Only products equipped with USB-C batteries are covered older Kobalt 24V models without that port are not affected, KCRA reported.
The recalled batteries come in five capacities: 3.0Ah, 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, 6.0Ah, and 8.0Ah. The 3.0Ah and 6.0Ah packs were also sold as standalone two-packs, so anyone who bought extra batteries separately should pull those and check as well, per KCRA.
The purchase window matters too. These products were sold at Lowe's stores nationwide and on Lowes.com from January through May 2026, according to KTVU. Anything purchased outside that window or from a different retailer is not included.
Quick reference checklist:
- Battery has a USB-C port on the casing
- Purchased at Lowe's stores or Lowes.com, January through May 2026
- Battery capacity is 3.0Ah, 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, 6.0Ah, or 8.0Ah
- Standalone 3.0Ah or 6.0Ah two-packs purchased separately also qualify
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Full model list: which Kobalt USB-C battery recall products are covered
The CPSC notice lists more than a dozen specific kits and tool-only units. Some of the more common ones, as ABC27 reported:
- Kobalt 24V 12" String Trimmer and Blower Combo Kit with one 3.0Ah battery (Kit: KOC 1024-06)
- Kobalt 24V 12" 2-in-1 String Trimmer Kit with one 3.0Ah battery (KST 2024-06)
- Kobalt 24V 270 CFM/100 MPH Blower Kit with one 3.0Ah battery (KHB 324-06)
- Kobalt 24V 6" Pruning Saw Kit with one 3.0Ah battery (KMCS 2024-06)
- Kobalt 24V Power Cleaner Kit with one 3.0Ah battery (KPC 3024-06)
- Kobalt 48V 17" Push Mower Kit with two 4.0Ah batteries (KM 4224A-06)
- Kobalt 48V 21" Push Mower Kit with two 5.0Ah batteries (KM 5224A-06)
- Kobalt 48V 21" Self-Propelled Mower Kit with two 6.0Ah batteries (KMS 6224A-06)
- Kobalt 48V 21" Dual Blade Self-Propelled Mower Kit with two 8.0Ah batteries (KMSD 8224A-06)
- Kobalt 48V 14" Chainsaw Kit with two 4.0Ah batteries (KCS 4224-06)
- Kobalt 48V 15" Trimmer and 600 CFM Blower Combo Kit with two 4.0Ah batteries (KOC 4248-06)
- Kobalt 48V Bristle Brush Kit with two 3.0Ah batteries (KABK 3265-06)
- Kobalt 24V 3.0Ah Battery 2-Pack (KB 324D-06) and 6.0Ah Battery 2-Pack (KB 624D-06), sold as standalone packs
The 48V tools in this list run on two 24V packs, which means both batteries in those kits are subject to the recall. Tool-only units, such as the 48V 14" Chainsaw (KCS 1448-06) and 48V 600 CFM Blower (KHB 6048-06), are also included when paired with the affected USB-C batteries. The complete list is in the CPSC notice.
What to do right now
Stop charging the recalled batteries through the USB-C port while they are inserted in the tool. That is the specific configuration that creates the short-circuit fire risk, according to KCRA. The recall does not endorse any alternative USB-C charging method. The official remedy is replacement, full stop.
To claim it, register at greenworkstools.com/pages/kobalt-product-recall. Greenworks will ship a new battery without a USB-C port, a charger adapter, an updated product manual, a warning label to affix to the tool, and a prepaid return label for sending back the recalled battery, per KTVU.
Greenworks handles the replacement process because it is the importer and the CPSC-listed responsible party. Lowe's is the retailer, but the claim runs entirely through Greenworks. Reach them at 888-266-7096 or [email protected], according to ABC27. Kobalt is Lowe's private-label outdoor power line; the tools were manufactured in China and Vietnam and imported by Greenworks North America LLC of Mooresville, North Carolina, per KTVU.
What the 34 incident reports say about the Kobalt 24V battery fire risk
The hazard description is precise. Charging a lithium-ion battery through its USB-C port while it remains inside the yard tool can cause a short-circuit, posing a risk of serious injury from fire, KCRA reported. The hazard is specific to that combination: battery inserted, USB-C cable plugged in. It is not a general indictment of lithium-ion chemistry or USB-C charging as a concept.
Before the recall was filed, Greenworks had logged 34 reports of batteries producing smoke, sparking, or catching fire in exactly this configuration. No injuries or property damage had been reported at the time of the recall announcement, which both KTVU and KCRA confirm. That detail matters. A recall with 34 fire incidents and zero injuries suggests the system moved ahead of serious harm rather than in response to it, which also means most of the 554,780 owners haven't encountered the problem and may not take the warning seriously until they do.
The replacement batteries ship without a USB-C port. Greenworks is not issuing a firmware patch, a revised instruction sheet, or a restriction on how the battery is used the port is gone from the hardware entirely, per KCRA. When a company removes a feature from the replacement unit rather than issuing guidance around it, that tells you something about where it thinks the problem lives. Both the company and the CPSC treated this as a hardware issue, not a user behavior problem.
USB-C charging ports are appearing on power-tool batteries as a convenience feature across the industry. This recall does not indict that trend broadly. The evidence supports a problem with this specific product under this specific condition, and nothing in the recall notice extends the concern beyond it.
Why the timing of this Kobalt yard tools recall matters
The January-through-May sales window put these tools directly into the hands of people preparing for spring yard season. They were bought to be used from now through the fall, which means a significant share of those 554,780 units are in active rotation and their owners have likely charged them more than once since purchase.
Thirty-four fire incidents out of more than half a million units is a small rate, but recall math cuts both ways. A low incident rate means most owners haven't had a problem yet. It does not mean the risk has passed. The CPSC acted on 34 reports; the question for any individual owner is whether they want to be the 35th.
The path forward is straightforward: check the battery casing for a USB-C port, confirm the purchase falls within the January-through-May 2026 window at Lowe's, and register at greenworkstools.com/pages/kobalt-product-recall if both conditions are true. Greenworks ships the replacement to the door and provides a prepaid label for the return. No store trip required.