Why FitBit is recalling some watches over safety concerns

Google-owned Fitbit has issued a recall for approximately 1.7 million of its Ionic Smartwatches following reports that lithium-ion battery included in the product can overheat and burn users, the company and federal safety officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The voluntary recall was announced after at least 115 reports from US customers who noted their watches had overheated. The issue resulted in 78 reports of burn-related injuries, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns.

The recall affects about one million products sold in the US and nearly 700,000 others sold abroad, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The agency advised the public to immediately stop using the recalled smartwatches.

“The health and safety of Fitbit users is our highest priority. We are taking this action out of an abundance of caution for our users. We will offer a refund to Fitbit Ionic customers,” Fitbit said in a statement.

Fitbit said the issue does not affect its other lines of smartwatches and fitness trackers. Aside from the full refund, the tech fitness firm is offering impacted customers a 40% discount on some of its other devices.

The company said it took action after a “thorough investigation” revealed that batteries occurred overheated in “very limited instances.”

Fitbit stopped producing the Ionic model in 2020. The product was sold by various retailers, including Best Buy, Target and Amazon, from September 2017 through December 2021 at prices ranging from $200 to $330.

Fitbit noted the reports of overheating batteries applied to less than 0.01% of Ionic Smartwatches that were sold to the public.