SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20251126-3B9AF-2147326078. Severity: No Incident, No Injury. Product: Valve Steam Deck - LCD Model (Steam Deck handheld gaming device with built-in lithium-ion battery. Black color, portable console with integrated 7-inch screen, control pads, and internal rechargeable battery. The product is used for playing Steam and PC games). Incident: I purchased a brand-new Steam Deck handheld gaming device manufactured by Valve. Within the first day of use, the internal lithium-ion battery began to malfunction. The device would not hold a charge and could only operate while plugged in. Shortly afterward, the battery began visibly swelling, causing the back panel of the device to bulge outward near the left grip. The swelling progressed over several days and made the device unsafe to handle. I stopped using or charging the product as soon as I noticed the deformation because I was concerned about the risk of a lithium battery fire. The device was used in a normal manner and was only a few hours old when the issue appeared. There were no injuries, but the battery swelling created a significant fire hazard inside my home. I contacted the manufacturer, and they acknowledged the issue, but the return process was delayed for several days, forcing me to store a potentially hazardous product longer than appropriate. I am reporting this because a lithium-ion battery swelling in a brand-new device is a serious safety concern. I want to ensure this issue is documented in case it reflects a broader manufacturing or battery defect.