More Than 500,000 Hoverboards Recalled For Fire Hazard

hoverboards
More than 500,000 hoverboards were recalled Wednesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which cited the possiibility of fire hazards caused by overheated lithium-ion batteries. Photo courtesy the CPSC

WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) — More than a half million hoverboards face a recall because of potential fire hazards in their lithium-ion batteries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday.

The recall of the self-propelled, self-balancing wheeled platforms includes products from eight manufacturer/importers, as well as 4,300 from Overstock.com and 1,300 from the Pennsylvania store Boscov’s. Of the manufacturers, 267,000 are from the Indiana-based firm Swagway, with 70,000 from Arizona’s Hoverboard LLC.

In a statement he CPSC noted, “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 hoverboards in question are all Chinese-made, and were largely sold online at prices ranging from $350 to $900. The CPSC said customers should stop using the machines and contact the retailer for a full refund, a free repair or a free replacement.

A spokesman for Overstock.com said the company stopped selling hoverboards in December 2015, citing safety concerns. The spokesman added the company offered all customers a full refund. Another online retailer, Amazon.com, was not mentioned in the recall; it worked with the CSPC in February to provide refunds to any customer who chose to return the product.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here