The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall for over 500,000 self-balancing scooters/hoverboards due to fire hazard safety concerns. The hoverboards recalled include products sold at 10 different retailers in the U.S.
When the two-wheeled “hoverboards” started to gain popularity last year, videos and news reports of some of them spontaneously combusting and causing burns — or worse, causing house fires — quickly surfaced. It took long enough, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has finally issued a much needed hoverboard recall on certain models.
The lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a risk of the products smoking, catching fire and/or exploding.
The recall advises that owners of specific models get their self-balancing scooters repaired, replaced, or refunded and urge consumers to contact the recalling companies. According to the recall:
There have been at least 99 incidents reports of the battery packs in self-balancing scooters/hoverboards overheating, sparking, smoking, catching fire and/or exploding including reports of burn injuries and property damage.
The recall includes the following models purchased from these companies:
Company Number of Units Brand/Model Sold Firm’s Recall Digital Gadgets LLC, of Monroe, N.J. 16,000 Hover-Way/Model # HWSBB601-R 16-213 Hoverboard LLC, of Scottsdale, Ariz. 70,000 Powerboard 16-210 Hype Wireless, of Edison, N.J. 25,000 Hype Roam 16-217 Keenford Ltd., of Lynbrook, N.Y. 84,000 iMoto 16-216 PTX Performance Products USA of Irvine, CA 4,900 Airwalk Self Balancing Electric Scooter 16-208 Razor USA LLC, of Cerritos, Calif. 28,000 Hovertrax 16-215 Swagway LLC, of South Bend, Ind. 267,000 Swagway X1 16-211 Yuka Clothing, of Miami, Fla. 800 Wheeli, 2Wheelz, Back to the Future, Mobile Tech, Hover Shark, NWS, X Glider and X Rider 16-209 Boscov’s, of Reading, Pa. 1,300 Orbit 16-212 Overstock.com, of Salt Lake City, Utah 4,300 All hoverboards sold on Overstock.com 16-214
Do you own one of these self-balancing scooters/hoverboards that have been recalled? Have you had any issues with it? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”SOURCELINK” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission[/button]