16 Years Ago Today, Xbox Was Forced To Recall Millions Of Power Cords

Remember the mid-2000s? Remember the days of the original Xbox? Then you may recall the time Microsoft recalled 14.1 million power cords after it was found they had the potential to catch fire.

As reported by CBS News back in 2005, the mass recall was made after 30 customers had reported they had fire damage from the power cords, with seven also said to have burned their hands due to the defect. Luckily, no serious injuries were reported, and the Xbox 360's iconic red ring of death ended up becoming a much more infamous issue.

"Everywhere except Europe, the recall affects Xboxes manufactured before Oct. 23, 2003. In Europe, it affects those manufactured before Jan. 13, 2004.

Overall, the flaw affects about 70 percent of the approximately 20 million consoles sold, Microsoft said."

There was a brief bit of panic back at the launch of the Xbox Series X that the console's vent appeared to be producing smoke for a small number of users, but that was quickly debunked to be nothing more than owners blowing their vapes into the system. Thankfully, we've had nothing on the level of mass recalls so far. Phew!

Do you remember this mass recall back in 2005? Let us know in the comments below.

[source cbsnews.com]