Owners of Onewheels have been told to stop using the electric skateboard after manufacturer Future Motion Inc. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall for 300,000 of the self-balancing boards due to a risk of injury and in some cases death.
Future Motion faced reports of four deaths and numerous injuries between 2019 and 2021, with the accidents involving traumatic brain injuries, fractures and head trauma.
In a statement, the CPSC said: “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."
Encompassing all the Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboard models, the recall urged Original Onewheel and Onewheel+ owners to get rid of their products in return for a refund in the form of a Onewheel store credit.
Customers who purchased other models, such as Onewheel GT or Onewheel Pint or Pint X, are urged to update their firmware within six weeks to enhance safety features.
Emphasising the importance of wearing personal protective equipment, especially helmets, during rides, the CPSC explained that three out of four of the deaths involved riders who were not wearing head gear.
"Future Motion and the CPSC encourage all riders to wear personal protective equipment while riding," the safety group added.
Onewheel products were sold from January 2014 to September 2023 for between US$1,050 to US$2,200.
"This update is the culmination of months of work with the CPSC and we are proud to make continued improvements toward creating the best possible experience for our riders," Onewheel said.