CNA – Google-owned fitness tracker maker Fitbit has recalled over a million of its Ionic smartwatches following reports of burn injuries from overheating batteries, the United States (US) Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said yesterday.
Fitbit said it had received “a very limited number” of injury reports and the total number of the smartwatches recalled was less than 0.01 per cent of units sold.
“These incidents are very rare and this voluntary recall does not impact other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers,” the company said in a statement. The CPSC said Fitbit had received at least 115 reports in the US and 59 from overseas about overheating batteries that caused burn injuries, some were third-and-second-degree burns.
The watches recalled were sold in three colour combinations and a special edition co-branded with Adidas in ink blue/silver grey.
Priced at USD299, the Ionic smartwatch tracks activity, heart rate and sleep. Fitbit stopped production of the watch in 2020.
The watches were sold at Kohl’s, Target and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and Fitbit.com from September 2017 through December 2021 for between USD200 and USD330, CPSC said.
