Hi-tech skateboards recalled worldwide after four deaths and multiple injuries

03 October 2023 , 14:03

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All Onewheel boards are subject to a new recall after a string of deaths and injuries (Image: Jason Ogulnik/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

A brand of hi-tech skateboards have been recalled after they were linked to four deaths and multiple injuries.

All Onewheel electric boards are covered by the notice issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), who said people should immediately stop using the skateboards.

Manufacturer Future Motion Inc, confirming the recall of 300,000 products, said the boards “can stop balancing" if safe limits are exceeded, creating a "crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death". The CPSC said all of the deaths had come as a result of head trauma, with the rider understood not to be using a helmet in at least three of the incidents.

Manufacturer Future Motion Inc said the boards 'can stop balancing' if safe limits are exceeded, creating a serious 'crash hazard' (AP)

Injuries sustained while using the boards meanwhile included traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, body fractures and ligament damage. The latest decision in the US follows a stand-off between the CPSC and Future Motion, who had originally refused to agree to a voluntary recall last November after a warning was issued by the agency.

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In September, court documents filed by Future Motion revealed that they had 31 pending lawsuits against them in 15 district courts concerning the board, in which people had alleged that they "fell because the Onewheel stopped or shut off unexpectedly". All models of Onewheel electric skateboards are covered by the new recall notice, including the original Onewheel, the Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X and Onewheel GT. The manufacturer told the BBC that the recall would apply to all customers worldwide, and not just those in the US.

On the OneWheel website, the manufacturer revealed that some of the boards will be eligible for a firmware update for a new Haptic Buzz safety feature, which will alert the user when the board is approaching its safe limits or is low on power. Customers can enter their board's serial number to check whether it is eligible for the update. A letter to customers from Future Motion Inc reads: "We are announcing a voluntary recall of all Onewheel electric skateboards, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 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.

"To address this, we have developed an innovative new safety alert feature called “haptic buzz” that will be available to Onewheel GT, Pint X, Pint, and XR riders through an important firmware update. Haptic buzz is an alert riders can hear and feel when experiencing certain situations that can result in a crash.

"Haptic buzz is designed to work in conjunction with the existing pushback safety feature to help riders further recognize that the board’s ability to balance may soon be exceeded so they can lean back and slow down to avoid crashing. If you’d like more information on the new Haptic Buzz safety alert feature, watch our YouTube video explainer."

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas