According to recent statements, the main problem is in the lithium-ion battery packs, that don’t work well under heat making them light up on fire, explode or start to emit smoke.
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The agency says the lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing hoverboards can overheat, resulting in sparking, smoking, fire and explosion. The recall covers hoverboards from 10 manufacturers, retailers and importers with more than half come from the Swagway LLC of South Bend, Indiana.
The commission advises users to immediately stop using the recalled products and contact the company selling them to return their products for a full refund.
“All of the hoverboard models included in this recall were made with fundamental design flaws that put people at real risk”.
The company also said it will introduce a “safety mode” that protects customers from data overages by slowing speeds.
The hoverboards in question are all Chinese-made, and were largely sold online at prices ranging from $350 to $900.
The federal government has recalled more than 500,000 hoverboards over safety concerns.
Fire hazard is said to be the main reason the hoverboards are now facing an immediate recall.
The recall also affects models from two retailers – Boscov’s of Reading, Pennsylvania, and Overstock.com Inc, of Salt Lake City, Utah.
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For example the Swagway X1 can be purchased online for $998.99, with an additional cost of $87 to ship to Australia. The Alibaba Group has committed to require certifications from the testing agencies for hoverboards sold by third-parties on sites such as AliExpress.com and Alibaba.com, notes the USCPSC. A manufacturer should be able to prove the device is certified as safe from the Underwriters Laboratories. “My message to the public was clear in February and continues to be clear today: Do not use a hoverboard that does not meet UL’s electrical safety requirements for these products”.
