According to the recall of the Fitbit Ionic, the watch’s lithium-ion battery has the potential of significantly overheating, which can lead to burns.
San Francisco-based Smartwatch company Fitbit is voluntarily recalling almost 2 million of their Ionic smartwatches due to a burn hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
According to the recall — which involves only the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch — the watch’s lithium-ion battery has the potential of significantly overheating, which can lead to burns.
Fitbit has received 78 reports in the U.S. and 40 reports internationally of burn-related injuries, authorities said. Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the U.S. of devices over heating. There were 59 reports internationally of the devices overheating, officials said.
This recent recall is the second that Fitbit has had to issue in the last decade. In 2014, the company recalled its Fitbit Force activity-tracking wristband after receiving over 10,000 reports of the wristband either irritating skin or causing blistering.
In a statement to Inside Edition Digital, a spokesperson for Fitbit said, "Customer safety is always Fitbit’s top priority and out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic smartwatches.
"We received a very limited number of injury reports—the totals in the CPSC announcement represent less than 0.01% of units sold—of the battery in Fitbit Ionic smartwatches overheating, posing a burn hazard," the spokesperson continued. "These incidents are very rare and this voluntary recall does not impact other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers."
The Ionic fitness products — with model numbers FB503CPBU, FB503GYBK, FB503WTGY and FB503WTNV — have been sold globally between 2017 and 2021. About 1 million of the recalled smartwatches were sold at U.S. retailers including Best Buy, Kohl's, Target, Amazon.com, and an additional 693,000 were sold internationally, according to Fitbit.
According to the notice, after selling the watches for between $200 and $330 each, Fitbit discontinued production of Ionic in 2020, and customers are encouraged to stop using the watches and contact the company for pre-paid packaging to return their devices and receive a refund of $299.
Returning the devices will also get customers a discount code for 40% off other Fitbit devices.
Consumers looking to return their devices can call Fitbit toll-free at 888-925-1764 or contact the company online at help.fitbit.com/ionic. They can also visit www.fitbit.com and click on "product help" at the bottom of the page.
