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Fitbit has to pay a $12.25 million fine for overheating smartwatch injuries
The comapny has been fined for keeping quiet about its smartwatch's safety risks.
- Fitbit is paying a $12.25 million fine for failing to report safety risks associated with its Ionic smartwatches.
- The Ionic smartwatch had a defect causing overheating, which led to burns, including second and third-degree injuries.
- In 2022, Fitbit recalled 1.7 million units globally after reports of more than a hundred injuries.
Fitbit has agreed to pay a $12.25 million penalty to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The fine resolves claims that Fitbit failed to promptly report a safety hazard in its Ionic smartwatch, a product now linked to dozens of injuries.
First released in 2017, the Fitbit Ionic aimed to establish the brand in the smartwatch market. However, the device soon drew complaints about overheating batteries, with reports escalating between 2018 and 2020. Some users suffered severe burns, including second and third-degree injuries. Although Fitbit tried to address the issue with a firmware update in 2020, overheating incidents continued to occur.
