Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Hoverboards were a cause for concern several months ago, with reports of balance malfunctions, battery fires and injuries. Now the U.S. government has declared them unsafe and 10 companies selling the devices have issued an official recall of 501,000 hoverboards manufactured in China and sold in the U.S. between June of 2015 and May of 2016.
The recall impacts the biggest hoverboard brands on the market, including Swagway, the Hovertrax from Razor, the Airwalk Self Balancing Electric Scooter, the iMoto, the Hype Roam, the Wheeli, 2Wheelz, Back to the Future, Mobile Tech, Hover Shark, NWS, X Glider and X Rider. Additionally, retailer Overstock.com is recalling all hoverboards sold on its website, which amounts to 4,300 in all.
There have been ongoing problems with the devices’ electrical systems and lithium-ion battery packs, which pose a fire hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has investigated more than 60 hoverboard-related fires in 20 states, which have caused in excess of $2 million in property damage.
Another problem is with overall design flaws that affect stability, resulting in falls. In some cases, tiny sidewalk cracks are enough to cause the boards to overcorrect and throw the rider off.
When problems first surfaced several months ago, CPSC advised consumers to purchase only those hoverboard models that had been certified as “safe” by Underwriters Laboratories and carried the “UL” logo. However, since then, there have been reports of some companies, including Swagway, placing counterfeit UL logos on their products. A genuine UL logo is a holographic label that reads “UL 2272,” with the number referencing the specific testing process used by UL. Ninebot was the first hoverboard manufacturer to receive the genuine UL certification.
The companies involved in the recall are offering refunds, repairs or replacement units to consumers, and riders are advised to wear helmets, wrist guards, knee/elbow pads and avoid riding the devices near automobile traffic. Government agencies are urging hoverboard owners to stop using the devices immediately until they can determine for certain whether or not their devices are included in the recall.
U.S. consumers who are unsure whether or not their hoverboard is part of the recall can call the CPSC consumer hotline at (800) 638-2772.