Up to half a million hoverboards have been recalled in the USA, following at least 99 incidents in which a battery pack overheated.
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission says owners should stop using any of the recalled hoverboards. The case even made large retailers such as Target Corporation, or Amazon.com stopped selling the objects during the holiday season.
The Overstock.com website, Boscov’s department stores and Yuka Clothing shops also sold some of the recalled stock.
The recalled hoverboards were made by 10 companies ranging from Swagway LLC of South Bend, Indiana, to Keenford Ltd., based in Hong Kong.
All of the about 501,000 products included in the recall have two wheels at either end of a platform and are powered by lithium-ion battery packs.
Today, CPSC said that there are already as much as 99 incidents of the lithium-ion battery packs in hoverboards overheating, catching fire, sparking, smoking and exploding.
A major recall of hoverboards is under way in the US. Nearly 100 incidents have been reported, with some injuries and property damage, Kaye said. Following a tumultuous 2015 where hoverboards from various manufacturers were temporarily banned due to fire concerns, it appeared as if the industry had finally worked out all of the design kinks that plagued some of the earlier models.
However, the recall is not limited to kit sold via AliExpress.com and Alibaba.com. Now a handful of manufacturers, distributors and retailers have coordinated with the CPSC to issue an official recall. According to the CPSC, some consumers have complained about burn injuries and property harm.
The only safe hoverboards are those certified by UL, previously known as Underwriters Laboratories, a company that sets safety standards for many consumer products.
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The latest stats show nearly 100 incidents of overheated batteries sparking flames that have destroyed homes, and in some cases, even hurt riders.
