In February, we reported that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) had ruled every hoverboard unsafe. Now, the CPSC has gone one step further and recalled more than 500,000 hoverboards due to fire hazards and injury risks, according to ABC News.
The recalled hoverboards use lithium-ion packs and are traced to eight manufacturers/importers, including Overstock.com and 1,300 units from a store in Pennsylvania. The 267,000 hoverboards from Swagway make up half of the recalled inventory. While Amazon is not listed in this recall, the online retailer removed its hoverboard inventory in February.
“We are urging consumers to act quickly,” CPSC chairman Elliot Kaye told ABC News. “We’ve concluded pretty definitively that these are not safe products the way they were designed. This is a huge recall. It’s the recall we’ve all been waiting for to address this product that, as soon as it came on the market, presented a pretty significant fire hazard, and continues to present a fall hazard.”
The design flaw Kaye is referring to involves the lithium-ion battery packs overheating and subsequently catching fire. There have been multiple incidents of hoverboards exploding and causing personal injury and property damage, as well.
Overstock.com already has discontinued the hoverboards, as well as offered a refund to anyone that purchased one already.
While hoverboards might not be a part of your inventory, it’s important to ensure your other lithium-powered products keep with the CPSC’s safety standards. This includes power banks, flashlights, power tools and even fitness bands.
