Every year, certain gifts are more popular and harder to obtain than others. For multiple years in a row, small, electric transportation devices have been among the most popular gift requests. Teenagers and adults alike are often eager to cruise around on e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards. These gifts may generate some big holiday smiles but could also result in serious injuries. E-bikes and e-scooters have been subject to recalls in recent years, but they have not caused nearly as many serious issues as hoverboards have.
Hoverboards have been the source of numerous recalls over multiple years. Anyone considering buying a hoverboard this holiday season can potentially learn from these prior recalls.
Hoverboards can cause fires
Hoverboards are electrically propelled self-balancing devices that provide low-speed transportation. Using them is dangerous in its own right, but recalls don’t occur because people fall off of hoverboards and get hurt. That is a basic risk inherent in the use of such products. Recalls occur when products have risk factors beyond what consumers could reasonably expect to encounter.
The recalls related to hoverboards have had to do with fire and explosion risks. There have been nearly a million hoverboard units recalled over multiple years in the United States because the batteries or the wiring used can trigger house fires. There have even been fatalities reported in the fires started by these devices.
Those considering a hoverboard purchase for the holidays should look into recalls and adjust their decisions accordingly. Tracking product safety issues can help those in the market for potentially dangerous items reduce the risk involved in buying holiday gifts.
