Fitbit recalls more than 1 million smartwatches after dozens of reports of burn injuries

by · Business Insider Nederland
A visitor uses a Fitbit Ionic watch at the IFA Electronics Show in Berlin, Germany, September 1, 2017REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
  • Fitbit voluntarily recalled its Ionic Smartwatch, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.
  • The agency said there had been at least 115 reports of burn injuries related to the device.
  • The recall impacts about one million of the smartwatches that have been sold in the US and 693,000 internationally.

Fitbit recalled nearly 1.7 million of its smartwatches, following over 100 reports of burn injuries, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (UCPSC) announced on Wednesday.

The agency said that the lithium-ion battery in the Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch can overheat and has caused burn injuries in at least 115 reported incidents, including four reports of second-degree burns and two of third-degree burns.

The UCPSC said that about one million of the wearable devices that monitor users' activity levels, heart rate, and sleep were sold in the US, while 693,000 more were sold internationally.

The agency recommends Fitbit users "immediately stop using the recalled Ionic smartwatches and contact Fitbit to receive pre-paid packaging to return the device." Customers who return the watch will receive a $299 refund and a discount code for some Fitbit devices.

The recalled device was sold at Best Buy, Kohl's, and Target, as well as online for $200 to $330 from September 2017 to December 2021. The voluntary recall does not impact any other Fitbit devices outside of the Ionic Smartwatch.

Fitbit did not respond to a request for comment from Insider, but told The New York Times that the reported burn injuries represent less than 0.01% of all Ionic watches that had been sold.

It's not the first time that Fitbit has voluntarily recalled one of its watches. The company halted sales and recalled over a million of its Fitbit Force smartwatches in 2014, citing reports of skin irritation. 

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