Los Angeles, California – All models of Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards are being recalled due to safety concerns, following reports of at least four deaths and multiple injuries. The recall affects 300,000 skateboards manufactured by California-based Future Motion. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that these skateboards can cease to balance the rider if their limits are surpassed, increasing the risk of serious accidents.
Future Motion has received numerous incident reports related to these skateboards, including four deaths and injuries like paralysis, traumatic brain injury, fractures, and ligament damage between 2019 and 2021. The CPSC specifically mentioned that the deaths resulted from head trauma, with some riders not wearing helmets. Owners of the impacted Onewheel skateboard are advised to immediately stop using them. The recall encompasses all Onewheel electric skateboards sold online and through independent retailers from January 2014 to September of this year, including models like Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X, and Onewheel GT.
To address the safety concern, a new safety alert feature named “haptic buzz” will be introduced through a firmware update for certain Onewheel boards in the near future. Future Motion’s Onewheel team encourages riders to check their board’s eligibility and instructions for the update on their website. Unfortunately, original Onewheel and Onewheel+ boards are not eligible for the firmware update. Riders who are eligible can receive a prorated refund in the form of $100 store credit after returning the product.
The Onewheel team emphasized the importance of rider safety by urging all riders to wear helmets and other protective gear. The CPSC had previously warned consumers in November to stop using Onewheel electric skateboards due to the reported deaths and injuries. At that time, Future Motion had resisted agreeing to a recall. However, in a recent announcement, Future Motion’s Onewheel team expressed that the recall was the result of months of collaboration with the CPSC. Further comments from Future Motion regarding the recall were not immediately available when reached out to by the Associated Press.