The Consumer Product Safety Commission has had an interesting time recently handling a glut of defective products; the Ikea recall in late June affected some 29 million units, one of the largest recalls in US history. Now, the CPSC has issued recalls for multiple companies concerning some half a million “hoverboards” with defective battery packs. The low quality Lithium-ion batteries have a nasty habit of exploding at inopportune moments and setting fire to nearby structures.
The scope of the problem
Forbes reported “There have been at least 99 incidents reports of the battery packs in self-balancing scooters/hoverboards overheating, sparking, smoking, catching fire and/or exploding including reports of burn injuries and property damage. Consumers should immediately stop using these 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.”
We wrote about the problems that plagued the popular toy in January, when the news broke that the low quality mass-produced Li-ion batteries that powered the devices were explosively discharging. The issue is so widespread in the toys that the US Trade Commission banned all hoverboards not manufactured by Segway in March.
What you need to know
So far, five companies account for almost 95% of the recalled units; in order, they are Swagway, Hovertrax, iMoto, Powerboard, and the Hype Roam. If you have one of these products in your home, contact the manufacturer immediately for a refund or authorized repair. The full list of the affected products is, referred to by the CPSC as self-balancing scooters, is available here.
If you haven’t been affected by these faulty battery packs, but have these products in your home, you are at risk. The likelihood of a malfunction increases each time the product is used, charged, and discharged; the risk of catastrophe only goes up over time.
If your child was injured or your property was damaged by a defective hoverboard, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills and property damage. The experienced defective product attorneys at Crandall & Pera Law can evaluate your case and help get you the compensation you deserve. To speak to a Kentucky or Ohio defective product attorney, call our Kentucky legal team at 877.651.7764, our Ohio legal team at 877.686.8879, or contact us today for a free consultation.