Fitbit to pay $12M fine for Ionic smartwatch burns
Google-owned Fitbit has agreed to pay a $12.25 million civil penalty for failing to alert consumers that its Ionic smartwatches could overheat and cause burns, federal regulators said Thursday.
In addition to the $12.25 million civil penalty, the settlement agreement requires Fitbit to maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), including enhancements made to its compliance program.
Ionic smartwatches could cause serious burns
What we know:
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the settlement resolves CPSC’s charges that Fitbit knowingly failed to immediately report to CPSC, as required by law, that its Ionic smartwatches contained a defect that "could create a substantial product hazard and create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to consumers."
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The Fitbit Ionic smartwatches were recalled in March 2022. (Credit: CPSC)
The Commission and Fitbit jointly announced a recall of the Ionic smartwatches on March 2, 2022. The recall stated that the firm had received at least 115 reports in the United States of the battery in the smartwatch overheating, with 78 reports of burn injuries in the United States, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns. Learn more about the recall here.
Reports of smartwatch burns started in 2018
The backstory:
Between 2018 and 2020, Fitbit received numerous reports of the Ionic smartwatches overheating while being worn by consumers, causing some consumers to sustain burns, including second-degree and third-degree burns on their arms or wrists.
EARLIER: Fitbit recalls over 1M Ionic smartwatches that can overheat, posing burn hazard
In early 2020, Fitbit initiated a firmware update to mitigate the potential for battery overheating. However, CPSC said Fitbit continued to receive reports of consumers suffering burns due to the product overheating.
What they're saying:
"Despite possessing information that reasonably supported the conclusion that the smartwatches contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury, Fitbit did not immediately report to the Commission as required," CPSC wrote in a press release on January 23.
By a 5 to 0 vote, the commission provisionally accepted the settlement agreement, subject to public comment.