• CPSC recorded 118 burn injuries and 174 battery overheating issues related to the watch
• Fitbit will issue a refund of $299 upon receiving the device
Fitness tracking band manufacturer Fitbit, on Wednesday, said it will recall nearly 1.7 million Ionic smartwatches after several burn injuries were reported due to battery overheating issues.
Fitbit, which was acquired by Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) in 2021, has sold roughly 1 million of the smartwatches in the U.S. and 693,000 worldwide.
Fitbit will issue a refund of $299 upon receiving the devices and will also provide a discount code for 40% off on selected devices.
The watches were from September 2017 through December 2021 for between $200 to $330. The company discontinued the production of Ionic smartwatches in 2020.
Burn injuries and overheating issues
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned users to immediately stop using the watches, saying that there have been 78 reports of burn injuries in the U.S., including two cases of third-degree burns and four instances of second-degree burns.
Additionally, there have been 40 reports of burn injuries internationally.
Fitbit has also received reports of battery overheating — 115 in the U.S. and 59 worldwide.
“Customer safety is always Fitbit’s top priority, and out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic smartwatches,” the company said in a statement.
“We received a very limited number of injury reports—the totals in the CPSC announcement represent less than 0.01% of units sold—of the battery in Fitbit Ionic smartwatches overheating, posing a burn hazard. These incidents are very rare, and this voluntary recall does not impact other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.”
It’s the second major recall for Fitbit since 2014 when the company recalled its famous Fitbit Force after several reports of skin irritation.
The company recalled 1 million units in the U.S.—just six months after its launch, as the adhesives used in its construction of the watch were causing skin allergies.
Picture Credit: CNet