Future Motion recalls 300,000 electric skateboards due to crash hazard; 4 deaths reported
Product photo of recalled Onewheel skateboard. (Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Future Motion have announced the recall of 300,000 Onewheel Self-Balancing Electric Skateboards after receiving dozens of reports of incidents, including deaths.
According to the recall, released Sept. 29, the skateboards can stop balancing the rider if the boards’ limits are exceeded, posing a crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death.
Future Motion has received dozens of reports of incidents involving the electric skateboards, including four reported deaths between 2019 and 2021 and injuries such as traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, upper-body fractures, lower-body fractures and ligament damage.
CPSC said the reported deaths resulted from head trauma and, in at least three of those incidents, the rider was not wearing a helmet. Future Motion and the CPSC said they encourage all riders to wear personal protective equipment while riding.
This recall involves all models of Future Motion Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards, including Onewheel (original), Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X and Onewheel GT. The model name is on the side of the skateboard. The Onewheel logo is printed on the rail of the skateboards.
The recalled Onewheel Electric Skateboards were sold online at www.onewheel.com and other websites and shops nationwide from January 2014 through September 2023.
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The agency suggests consumers immediately stop using the recalled Onewheel electric skateboards. Consumers with the Original Onewheel or Onewheel+ model should visit https://recall.onewheel.com to arrange for a refund in the form of a store credit upon confirmation of disposal of the product.
Consumers with the Onewheel GT, Onewheel Pint X, Onewheel Pint, or Onewheel+ XR electric skateboards should download or update the Onewheel app, and use the app to update the firmware on their board to include Haptic Buzz alert functionality. Haptic Buzz is an audible warning system that provides the rider with a buzzing sensation and sound when nearing the limits of the board or when in low battery or error states, according to the recall.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.