Twenty-three people have suffered burn injuries and 26 fires have been reported in connection with COOWALK and COOWALI heated insoles, prompting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to warn consumers to stop using the products immediately. The agency issued the alert on June 4, 2026, after determining that the internal lithium-ion battery can explode or ignite even when the insoles are switched off. Approximately 6,000 units sold through Amazon.com and GearTrade.com between August 2022 and May 2024 are affected.
Why the CPSC Issued a Warning Instead of a Recall
The CPSC classified its action as a product safety warning rather than a voluntary recall. That distinction carries real consequences for the roughly 6,000 people who purchased these insoles. A voluntary recall typically involves the manufacturer coordinating with the agency to notify buyers, offer refunds or replacements, and pull remaining inventory from shelves. A product safety warning, by contrast, signals that the agency acted on its own authority to alert the public, often because a company has not cooperated with the recall process or cannot be reached.
Consumers sometimes assume that any serious hazard will automatically trigger a recall, but the process depends heavily on manufacturer participation. When a company does not agree to a recall plan, the agency can still issue a warning, post public notices on its recall and safety portal, and urge other regulators or marketplaces to intervene. In this case, the warning means owners should not expect a structured remedy such as prepaid return labels or standardized refunds unless the companies behind COOWALK and COOWALI later come forward with a recall agreement.
For owners, the practical result is the same: the CPSC directed them to stop using the insoles immediately and dispose of them through local household hazardous waste programs, not regular trash. Lithium-ion batteries require special handling because they can reignite after disposal if damaged or punctured. Owners who are unsure how to locate their nearest hazardous waste facility can check with their municipal waste authority or search for drop-off events in their area.
Lithium-Ion Battery Failures Even When Powered Off
The core hazard identified in the official CPSC notice is that the lithium-ion battery inside the insoles can explode or catch fire regardless of whether the device is turned on. That detail separates this case from many heated-apparel incidents where failures occur during charging or active use. A battery that can ignite while sitting idle in a closet, a bag, or a shoe rack presents a different kind of risk, one that persists even after an owner stops wearing the product but before proper disposal.
Reports submitted to the agency describe batteries overheating, sparking, and in some cases causing burns severe enough to require medical attention. Because the insoles are designed to be worn inside shoes or boots, a sudden thermal event can trap heat against the skin, increasing the likelihood of significant injury before the user can remove the footwear. Fires have also been reported when the insoles were not being worn, underscoring the recommendation to store them away from combustible materials until they can be discarded safely.
All 6,000 affected units were sold exclusively on Amazon.com and GearTrade.com over a roughly two-year window. The concentration of sales through just two online marketplaces raises questions about the supply chain behind these insoles. Online platforms often host third-party sellers who source batteries and components independently, and the quality-control checks that apply to products in traditional retail channels do not always extend to marketplace listings. The CPSC warning does not identify the battery manufacturer or specify which component failed, leaving open the question of whether the defect traces to a specific battery supplier or to assembly-level problems.
What Owners Should Do First and What Gaps Remain
Anyone who owns COOWALK or COOWALI heated insoles should stop using them right away and keep them away from flammable materials until they can be dropped off at a household hazardous waste collection point. Do not throw them in the trash or recycling, where compaction, puncturing, or exposure to heat could trigger a fire in a garbage truck or at a transfer station. If the insoles show signs of swelling, discoloration, or a chemical smell, isolate them on a nonflammable surface such as a metal tray while arranging disposal.
Owners who experienced burns or property damage may want to document the incident with photographs and medical or repair records. The CPSC encourages consumers to report product-related injuries and fires through its online database at SaferProducts.gov, which helps regulators track patterns and can support future enforcement actions. Filing a report does not guarantee compensation, but it can strengthen the public record if civil lawsuits or insurance claims arise.
One major gap highlighted by this case is the absence of a clear remedy pathway. Without a voluntary recall, there is no standardized process for refunds or replacements, and some buyers may never learn of the hazard if they miss media coverage or do not regularly check government safety sites. Marketplace platforms can choose to notify past customers or remove listings, but those steps are not always transparent, and enforcement can vary between sellers and regions.
The episode also underscores broader concerns about lithium-ion batteries in everyday products. From e-bikes to phone chargers, failures in battery design, manufacturing, or quality control can have outsized consequences once a product reaches thousands of homes. Regulators, marketplaces, and manufacturers face ongoing pressure to improve testing standards and traceability so that dangerous items can be identified and removed from circulation more quickly. For now, COOWALK and COOWALI owners are left with a straightforward but urgent directive: stop using the heated insoles and get them out of homes and vehicles as safely as possible.
