Fitbit has issued a recall of its Ionic sports watch, after reports of users being burned by the device.
The official recall has been issued in the US, amid disturbing numbers of burns suffered while wearing the Ionic smartwatch. The Ionic was launched way back in 2017 and was on-sale until 2020, as Fitbit’s GPS sports watch.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has alleged that there have been 115 reports of burns from the Ionic overheating – with two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns.
That’s out of 1.7 million smartwatches sold in the US and around the world.
- Official info: Fitbit Ionic information page
“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Ionic smartwatches and contact Fitbit to receive pre-paid packaging to return the device,” said a statement on the CPSC web site.
Fitbit will offer users a refund of $299 on the device, and the company will also issue those customers a discount code for 40% off select Fitbit devices.
If you own a Fitbit Ionic you can register for the recall here.
If you have a Fitbit Ionic and want to check if your model is affected, the product codes for Ionic models are: FB503CPBU, FB503GYBK, FB503WTGY and FB503WTNV
A Fitbit spokesperson reached out to say:
“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. These incidents are very rare and this voluntary recall does not impact other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.”
According to the CPSC, it’s Ionic watches with a polyurethane band in all body colors – which would account for most devices.
It’s not the first time Fitbit has been subjected to a product recall. Back in 2014 it was forced to recall the Fitbit Force over skin irritation complaints. But this is undoubtedly more serious, both from the perspective of the injuries sustained, and that the Ionic has been on sale since 2017.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.