SANTA CRUZ, California – All OneWheel electronic skateboards are being recalled after reports of injuries and deaths. The maker, Future Motion, has received reports of four deaths of users between 2019 and 2021, as well as multiple reports of serious injuries. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall notice for 300,000 of the self-balancing skateboards, warning people to immediately stop using them due to a crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death. The deaths resulted from head trauma, and in at least three of those cases, the rider was not wearing a helmet, the agency said. Injuries linked to the skateboards included traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, body fractures, and ligament damage.
Initially, Future Motion refused to agree to a recall when the Consumer Product Safety Commission first warned customers to stop using the skateboards. However, the company is now cooperating with the recall and plans to roll out a firmware update to address the safety issues, using what it calls “haptic buzz”. This update will be available for certain Onewheel models in a few weeks. Future Motion and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission are encouraging riders to wear personal safety equipment.
In conclusion, all models of Onewheel electronic skateboards are being recalled due to a crash hazard that can result in serious injury or death. The maker, Future Motion, is working on a firmware update to address the safety issues and is encouraging riders to wear personal safety equipment. The recall notice was issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which warned people to immediately stop using the skateboards.