Fitbit recalls more than 1 million smart watches over burn risk
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Fitbit received at least 174 reports of the lithium-ion battery's overheating, leading to 118 reported injuries.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SAN FRANCISCO (NYTIMES) - Fitbit, the Google-owned maker of health tracking wearables, is voluntarily recalling its Ionic smartwatch after more than 100 reports of burn injuries caused by an overheating battery, the United States' Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Wednesday (March 2).
About one million of the devices, which track activity, heart rate and sleep, were sold in the US from September 2017 through December 2021, with an additional 693,000 sold internationally.
Fitbit received at least 174 reports of the lithium-ion battery's overheating, leading to 118 reported injuries, including two cases of third-degree burns and four of second-degree burns, according to the commission.
Owners will be refunded US$299 (S$406) after returning their Ionic watch and will receive a discount code for selected Fitbit devices, the commission said.
A Fitbit representative noted that the injury reports represented fewer than 0.01 per cent of all Ionic watches sold, and said the recall did not affect other Fitbit products.
In 2014, Fitbit recalled more than one million of its Force wristbands after customers complained of severe skin irritation.
The company avoided a recall of its Flex wristbands later that year, after similar complaints, by adding an allergy warning about nickel and a sizing guideline to prevent users from wearing the wristbands too tightly.
According to Fitbit community forums, users have been reporting issues with overheating Ionic watches since at least 2019.
Google acquired Fitbit for US$2.1 billion in early 2021, after agreeing not to use the health and wellness data that Fitbit created to target ads at Internet users.
