Product Update | Lifeline Vi and Vi+ Products with Lithium-ion batteries

Jan 13, 2023

An update following our previous communication issued on 16 December 2022 relating to Lifeline Vi and Vi+ units containing Lithium-ion batteries. 

Following on from our previous correspondence the analysis carried out to date suggests the issues identified may have been a result of a battery defect, possibly exacerbated by external factors (such as a heat source). 

We are also continuing to work with each of our customers directly, where required, in regard to Lithium-ion batteries depleting faster than expected. Ensuring returns, repair and replacement routes are managed effectively, with ongoing enhancements to the process to improve efficiency and delivery. 

Once again, we would like to remind customers that all battery notifications into your Alarm Receiving Centre should be acted upon as soon as possible. In addition, as set out in our previous notice, customers and installers must follow the instructions in our installation and programming guide, which can be found here.    

The safety, health and wellbeing of service users remains Tunstall’s primary focus and we thank you for your continued support throughout this process. We will provide and update as soon as we have further information. 
  
If you have any immediate questions, please contact your account manager. You can also raise any safety concerns directly by contacting us at [email protected]. 

Dec 16, 2022

An update following the safety notice issued on 30 November 2022 relating to Lifeline Vi and Vi+ units containing Lithium-ion batteries.
 
Tunstall is conducting an in-depth technical and quality investigation, working with our battery supplier and external independent experts. This follows four reported instances where units containing Lithium-ion back-up batteries overheated and ruptured. In at least two of these instances, the hub was situated in close proximity to external heat sources.
 
The analysis carried out to date has shown that this could have been a result of a battery defect, possibly  exacerbated by external factors (such as a heat source).  We are working to identify the root cause so that we can ensure appropriate actions are taken. No further reports of similar issues have been received since our previous letter.
 
We are also continuing to investigate why some Lithium-ion batteries have depleted faster than expected. Whilst these investigations are ongoing, we will continue to repair or replace units as per our standard procedure.
 
In the meantime, all battery notifications into your Response Centre should be acted on as soon as possible. In addition, as set out in our previous notice, customers and installers must follow the instructions in our installation and programming guide, which can be found here. 

Identifying units with Lithium-ion batteries

Units can be definitively identified using the part number, as detailed in our first letter. The serial number can also provide guidance, as the first four digits represent the week and year the unit was produced. For example, 4319 xxxxx means that the unit was manufactured in week 43 of 2019.  Please note that all units produced from this date will most likely have a Lithium-ion battery.
 
The safety, health and wellbeing of our customers remain Tunstall’s primary focus and we will update you with the findings of our investigations as soon as possible. In any event, we will provide you with another progress update during the week commencing 9 January 2023.
 
If you have any immediate questions, please contact your account manager. You can also raise any safety concerns directly by contacting us at [email protected].

Nov 30, 2022

Tunstall has produced over 2.5 million Lifeline Vi and Vi+ units globally since 2012. From October 2019 the unit was modified to include a Lithium-ion battery. We have recently received a number of customer reports regarding the reliability of the Lithium-ion back-up battery in these units.

There have been four instances reported globally (two in the UK and two in Spain) where units that contained a Lithium-ion battery have overheated and ruptured, resulting in damage to the unit and, in one case, a scorched carpet. There have been no injuries or house fires reported in connection with any of these incidents. In at least two of these instances, the hub has been situated in close proximity to external heat sources. It is possible that the batteries could be an ignition source and present a burn hazard.

Units supplied before October 2019 are not affected by this issue. Further information on how to identify units which may be affected is set out below.

The safety, health and wellbeing of our customers remains Tunstall’s primary focus. As such, Tunstall are conducting an in-depth technical and quality investigation and health hazard assessment, working with our battery supplier and external independent experts.
We will update you with the findings of our investigation as soon as possible and, in any event, will provide you with a progress update during the week commencing 12 December 2022. In the meantime, we would like to emphasise that customers and installers must follow the instructions in our user guide and installation instructions.

Action required:

• Ensure all Lifeline Vi and Vi+ units are located as per installation and user guide recommendations.
• Please remind customers that units should be located in a well-ventilated space and not be placed on or near a source of heat. Heat sources may include radiators, direct sunlight, heaters, internet and TV boxes.
• Do not place objects that create significant noise and/or heat, or objects that are made of metal close to, underneath, or on top of the home unit. For example, televisions, radios, microwaves, Wi-Fi routers, mobile phones, and computers.
• Do not place near flammable materials.
• Please inform us of any reports from customers that may relate to this issue.

The user and installation guide for the product can be found here.

If you have any immediate questions, please contact your account manager and to raise any safety concerns directly, you can contact us directly at [email protected]

How to Identify Lifeline Vi and Vi+ units affected by this issue

• Find the part number on the unit label (circled in blue in the image below for demonstration purposes) and locate in the table below
• Check if the Revision level shown on the unit’s label (circled in red in the image below) appear in the ‘Revision’ columns in the table below to the right of the part number.
• If the part number and revision are referenced in the same row in the table below then the unit contains a Li-ion battery and is affected.

In the example image the part number is 57100/320. The row in the table contains revisions P1, P2, Q1 and R1. Thus a 57100/320P2 unit is affected.
As a further example, a 57100/320N1 unit does not appear in the table and is not affected.

Part Numbers affected by this issue: