Amazon recalls Fire tablet power adapters over electric shock hazard

Amazon is recalling some of its Fire tablets over fears that their power adaptors might give users an electric shock. The company said that adapters may fall apart when they are pulled from a wall socket, posing a risk to customers.

The affected equipment includes adapters bundled with Amazon's 7-inch Fire and Fire Kids Edition tablets sold since September 2015. Amazon has now issued instructions on how customers can return their adapters free of charge until replacements can be issued.

The company said: "We have determined that, in rare cases, when the power adapter included with the UK Fire 7-inch and UK Fire Kids Edition 7-inch tablet is pulled from the wall socket, the adapter assembly may detach and create a risk of electrical shock. Affected adapters were sold only in the United Kingdom and Ireland from September 2015.

"Customer safety is our top priority, and we are proactively offering to replace these power adapters with a new adapter, free of charge. We encourage customers to exchange their original power adapters using the process below.

"Please discontinue use of your original adapter. Until you receive a replacement adapter, you can use the included USB cable connected to a computer or another compatible adapter to charge your tablet."

Amazon joins a list of technology companies who have recently been forced to recall faulty products. In February, Apple announced it would issue new USB-C charging cables to customers who purchased select MacBooks due to a design defect affecting some models. In the same month, Microsoft was forced to recall some 2.25 million power cords following reports of units causing fires and electric shocks.