More than a quarter million Onewheel electric skateboards recalled due to deaths, injuries: CPSC
Customers are asked to dispose their skateboards or update their firmware, depending on their model
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that it is recalling 300,000 self-balancing Onewheel electric skateboards due to various deaths and injuries involving the products.
Future Motion Inc. – the company that produces the skateboards – has received reports of four deaths between 2019 and 2021 involving the self-balancing skateboards. Some customers also suffered traumatic brain injuries, upper- and lower-body fractures and head trauma.
"The skateboards can stop balancing the rider if the boards’ limits are exceeded, posing a crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death," the CPSC explained in a statement.
The recall involves all models of Onewheels self-balancing electric skateboards, but only Original Onewheel or Onewheel+ owners are urged to dispose their products. A prorated refund – in the form of a Onewheel store credit – will be available to those customers.
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Skateboarders who purchased the Onewheel GT, Onewheel Pint X, Onewheel Pint, or Onewheel+ XR models are advised to update their firmware when it becomes available. A firmware update for all four models will be available within six weeks.
The reported four deaths involved head trauma, and the CPSC explained that at least three of the four riders were not wearing helmets.
"Future Motion and the CPSC encourage all riders to wear personal protective equipment while riding," the statement added.
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The CPSC noted that the recalled Onewheel skateboards were sold between January 2014 and September 2023. They cost between $1,050 and $2,200.
"This update is the culmination of months of work with the CPSC and we are proud to make continued improvements toward creating the best possible experience for our riders," Onewheel said in a statement.
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Additional information about the recall can be found on the CSPC's website.