More Than 500,000 Hoverboards Recalled
Made in China, they've been recalled by eight manufacturers or importers, one retail store, and one online retailer because of the risk they can overheat and catch fire.
Hoverboards have proven to be as dangerous as predicted when they first made headlines, with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announcing July 6 that eight manufacturers or importers, one retail store, and one online retailer have recalled about 501,000 of them because they can overheat and catch fire. The recalled hoverboards were manufactured in China and sold nationwide from June 2015 through May 2016 for prices ranging from $350 to $900.
So far, there have been at least 99 incidents reports of the lithium-ion battery packs in self-balancing scooters/hoverboards overheating, sparking, smoking, catching fire, and/or exploding, including reports of burn injuries and property damage, according to the CPSC announcement, which advises consumers to immediately stop using the recalled products and contact the recalling company to return their hoverboard for a full refund, a free repair, or a free replacement, depending on the model.
The full list of companies is available here. They include:
- Digital Gadgets LLC, of Monroe, N.J., 16,000 units recalled
- Hoverboard LLC, of Scottsdale, Ariz., 70,000 recalled
- Hype Wireless, of Edison, N.J., 25,000 recalled
- Keenford Ltd., of Hong Kong, 84,000 recalled
- Swagway LLC, of South Bend, Ind., 267,000 recalled
- Boscov's, a brick-and-mortar retailer, 1,300 recalled
- Overstock.com, 4,300 recalled
"At the request of the Commission, Alibaba Group has taken voluntary action to require certifications from testing agencies for hoverboards listed by third-parties on the AliExpress.com and Alibaba.com online marketplaces," the announcement states. "Consumers are urged to immediately stop using hoverboards which do not comply with applicable safety standards and dispose of them in accordance with local and state regulations."