Hoverboard Fire Hazard News Update: Federal Agency Seize Units, Device Banned?
Amazon has stopped selling most of its hoverboard models made by different manufacturers due to a series of injuries, explosions and it being a fire hazard, according to USA Today.
Amazon is requesting the different companies manufacturing the devices to prove they are safe to use, said Swagway, the leading hoverboard maker.
Some models, including Swagway's are no longer available on Amazon's digital shelves. The removal comes a few months after reports that certain models may burst into flames because of malfunctioning plugs and batteries.
"As safety is on the forefront for Swagway, we applaud Amazon for taking these steps to weed out the low quality boards and want to note that this removal is NOT specific to Swagway, but includes 97% of the other branded hoverboards that were also selling on there," said a statement by Swagway.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been able to seize 164 hoverboards with counterfeit marks and fake batteries this week alone, said the agency.
"The men and women of CBP remain vigilant in protecting American consumers," said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske. "Working closely with our partners, we want to ensure that counterfeit and substandard merchandise does not appear in households this holiday season."
In 10 states, at least 11 reports of hoverboard fires are being investigated by a federal agency.
"We consider this a priority investigation," told Patty Davis to CNN Money, Monday. "This is a popular holiday item and it's going to be in a lot of consumers' homes, and we'd like to quickly get to the bottom of why some hoverboards catch fire." Davis is a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Meanwhile, all of the largest airlines in the United States, which includes Southwest, United and Delta Airlines have banned hoverboards from flights because of the devices' lithium-ion batteries, reported CBS News.
Lithium-ion batteries can present fire problems, which makes them dangerous to transport.
The hoverboard, which is arguably this holiday season's hottest gift is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, motorized platform.
