Nearly 1 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches sold in the United States have been recalled because they pose a burn hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Wednesday.
About 693,000 of the smartwatches were also sold in other countries.
The voluntary recall exclusively involves the lithium-ion battery in the Ionic smartwatch, which can overheat and cause burns, and consumers should immediately stop using them, the CPSC said in a statement.
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Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the United States and 59 reports from other countries of the battery in the watch overheating.
There have been 78 reports of Ionic-related burn injuries in the United States, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns. There have been 40 reports of Ionic-related burn injuries from other countries, according to the CPSC.
The number of injury reports represented less than
0.01% of units sold, according to Andrea Holing, a spokesperson for Fitbit.
The Ionic smartwatches have the model number FB503 on the back of the device near where the band attaches, and Fitbit is printed on the front of the watches.
They were sold at Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target and other stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com and Fitbit.com from September 2017 through December 2021. Fitbit stopped production of the Ionic in 2020.
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Consumers with Ionic smartwatches should contact Fitbit to receive pre-paid packaging to return the device. After receiving the device, the company will issue each consumer a refund of $299.
Fitbit will also provide consumers who return their Ionic smartwatches a discount code for 40% off select Fitbit devices.
For more information, consumers can call Fitbit toll-free at 888-925-1764, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or can go to the company’s website.
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