Sonos Roam may pose a fire hazard: Users report melting USB-C port, Sonos acknowledges issue
Over the past months, multiple Reddit users have reported that their first-gen Sonos Roam overheated during charging – resulting in melted USB-C ports and charging cables. The intense heat generated around the charging port could present a genuine fire hazard, especially when the Bluetooth speaker is placed near flammable objects, such as curtains.
Although Sonos is offering free repairs to impacted users, the company appears to be downplaying the issue. In a statement to Bloomberg, Sonos confirmed that a “very low number” of cases have been observed. The company also claimed that only a few units of the original Sonos Roam are affected, whilst the Sonos Roam 2 (approx. $156 on Amazon) is safe from the issue. Sonos suggests environmental factors may play a role in the reported incidents, though it is unclear whether this refers to temperature and humidity. The company has announced plans to release software updates aimed at reducing the risk of overheating during charging.
Since the latest user reports are only a few days old, it remains unclear whether these recently affected speakers were running on the latest software. Time will tell whether the problem can be actually resolved through software updates. In any case, it's advisable to avoid charging the first-gen Sonos Roam near highly flammable furniture and to use the optional magnetic charging dock when possible, as the issue seems to be limited exclusively to the USB-C port.
