RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — About 300,000 Onewheel Self-Balancing Electric Skateboards have been recalled after reports of injuries and four reported deaths between 2019 and 2021.
The skateboards can stop balancing the rider if the boards’ limits are exceeded, which poses a crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The manufacturer — Future Motion — has received dozens of reports of incidents involving the electric skateboards, including four deaths that were reported between 2019 and 2021. Injuries included traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, upper-body fractures, lower-body fractures and ligament damage.
The reported deaths were caused from head trauma and, in at least three of the incidents, the rider was not wearing a helmet, according to the CPSC. Riders were encouraged by Future Motion and the CPSC to wear helmets while riding.
Riders were asked by the safety commission to immediately stop using the recalled Onewheel electric skateboards. Consumers with the Onewheel GT, Onewheel Pint X, Onewheel Pint or Onewheel+ XR electric skateboards were asked to download or update the Onewheel app and use the app to update the firmware on their board to include Haptic Buzz alert feature.
The Haptic Buzz alert gives the rider a buzzing sensation and sound when nearing the limits of the board or when in low battery or when an error occurs.
For more information on the recall, customers can visit Future Motion’s website or call 800-283-7943.
