Fitbit Fined $12 Million For Ionic Smartwatches That Burned 78 People

Fitbit is paying a $12.25 cardinal good complete its Ionic smartwatches, which nan institution recalled successful 2022 aft reports that nan watches’ lithium-ion batteries overheated and, successful immoderate cases, burned customers. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has provisionally accepted nan settlement. The committee worked pinch Fitbit to callback 1.7 cardinal Ionic watches successful 2022 aft receiving 115 reports of overheating batteries. Of those reports, 78 mentioned symptom injuries, including 2 instances successful which consumers received third-degree burns from their watches and 4 instances of second-degree burns. Despite complaints passim 2018, 2019, and 2020 — that continued aft a firmware update to reside nan rumor successful 2020 — nan authorities agency says “Fitbit did not instantly study to nan Commission arsenic required.”

The callback only affected Fitbit’s Ionic watches, but immoderate consumers opportunity different Fitbit devices personification akin issues. In 2023, consumers sued Google — which owns Fitbit — claiming that each its devices had artillery issues that led to overheating, creating occurrence hazards and moreover burning customers. The title claims that Fitbit tried to blasted nan watches’ issues connected “consumer hygiene” and included aggregate accounts of Fitbit customer support ghosting customers who asked astir issues pinch their watches.

Per nan settlement, Fitbit will now beryllium required to support psyche controls to guarantee each its devices are compliant pinch nan Consumer Product Safety Act.