A hoverboard is a self-balancing scooter powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Most commonly, hoverboards have two wheels arranged side-by-side connected by two gyroscopic pads on which the rider stands. The device has no handles and is controlled by the rider’s feet, giving the illusion the rider is hovering.
What’s the issue?
Hoverboards are powered by extremely powerful li-on batteries, the same kind used in everything from smartphones to hybrid cars. The problem is, when these batteries are produced inexpensively or through unregulated (black market) manufacturers they have the potential to short circuit. When this happens, batteries can catch fire and even explode, as was the case with a recent Pennsylvania house fire caused by an exploding hoverboard where a young girl lost her life.
CPSC on Hoverboards
The Consumer Products Safety Commission, or CPSC, recently announced a recall on over half a Million hoverboards marketed under 13 different brand names.
- Swagway / Swagtron X1 model
- Razor Hovertrax
- Airwalk Self Balancing Electric Scooter
- iMoto
- Hype Roam
- Wheeli
- 2Wheelz
- Back to the Future
- Mobile Tech
- Hover Shark
- NWS
- X Glider
- Hover-1 Superfly Hoverboard (2022 hoverboard recall)
The federal commission released the following statement regarding their year long investigation into the safety of hoverboards,
“Many of these fires occurred indoors and could have resulted in serious injuries if not for the quick actions of consumers to extinguish the fire… This is a priority investigation and CPSC is devoting the staff time and resources necessary to find the root causes of the fires.”
Many independent retailers have also opted to recall hoverboards. At one point, the Consumer Product Safety Commission was investigating 22 reports of hoverboard fires.
CPSC Asks Manufacturer to Recall Hoverboard But They Refuse
On February 11, 2020, the CPSC asked New High-Tech Enterprise Company Inc., which manufacturers the X1-5 hoverboard that is sold online to recall their product after the Agency received a report of the X1-5 hoverboard overheating and smoking.
Furthermore, CPSC stated, “Although the X1-5 bears a UL mark, the product is no longer UL-listed and a sample tested by CPSC did not conform to UL2272.”
The CPSC is warning consumers not to charge or use X1-5 hoverboards.
Hoverboards are supposed to be compliant with the UL2272 safety standard but the X1-5 is not. According to the CPSC, the X1-5 hoverboard has been sold online at nhthoverboard.com, amazon.com, and at ewheelsusa.com and the product is often called a “Balance Board” or sometimes also called a “Self-Balancing Board”.
Retailers & Hoverboards
Many online retailers have opted to discontinue sales of hoverboards, despite their popularity. One such retailer is Overstock.com who decided to recall all 4,300 hoverboards sold on its website. Amazon.com also banned sales of hoverboards after being hit with a $30 Million dollar lawsuit in connection with a house fire reportedly caused by a hoverboard purchased on the site.
Have other lawsuits been filed against hoverboard manufacturers?
Swagway is the leading name in hoverboard technology, however many hoverboards are believed to be black or grey market. This means they are manufactured overseas (usually China), under a variety of names, with very little regulation in production or distribution. This has caused a great deal of confusion with consumers, who say they were lead to believe that the products they were purchasing were safe and regulated. Since it is almost impossible to trace the actual manufacturers of many of these products, some lawsuits have been filed against the retailers or promoters of the defective and dangerous products.
Do you have a hoverboard lawsuit? If you or your family purchased a hoverboard that caught fire and/or exploded, contact the lawyers at Johnson//Becker for your Free Case Evaluation.
Hoverboard fires in the news
CNN News reported on the death of a 3-year-old Pennsylvania girl due to an exploding hoverboard battery. Ashanti Hughes died in Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest’s burn unit in March 2017.
This was the first reported death directly attributed to a malfunctioning hoverboard, though thousands of serious injuries have also been reported at the hands of the hugely popular transportation devices. The story went on to profile a February 9, 2016 fire that burned down a family’s million-dollar Nashville home.
“The fact that a toy caused this kind of destruction to our lives is just wrong,” said Megan Fox, the owner of the now destroyed home.
CNET Online profiled the volatile nature of foreign lithium ion batteries in a 2016 story. It spoke of overseas manufacturers cutting corners in order to save money. “A defective battery might have tiny sharp metal particles inside that could puncture the separator all on its own.
When this happens, especially when the batteries are charged, a lot of heat is generated inside the cells and this leads to electrolyte boiling, the rupture of the cell casing, and then a significant fire.”
The story continued by stating that there was no clear way for consumers to know if they were purchasing a safe, or unsafe product. “What you have is a product coming in here where no one knows which safety standards are applicable.”
Do You Have a Hoverboard Lawsuit? Contact a Lawyer For a Free Case Review
If you or someone in your family was injured or experienced property damage by a hoverboard explosion and/or burn, you should speak with the lawyers at Johnson//Becker. Financial compensation may be available by filing a hoverboard lawsuit against the manufacturer.
To learn how we can help you and your family, please contact us for a Free Case Evaluation. We would be honored to speak with you and will respond promptly to every inquiry we receive.
Free Case Evaluation
To contact us for a free review of your potential case, please fill out the form below or call us toll free 24 hrs/day by dialing: (800) 279-6386.