Fitbit pinched for $12.25M after not immediately reporting known defect in recalled smartwatch

Fitbit has agreed to pay a $12.25 million settlement after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed the company failed to report overheating defects in its Ionic smartwatches, leading to dozens of burn injuries. Reports of overheating began in 2018 and persisted until 2020, with allegations of second- and third-degree burns. Although a firmware update was released to address the overheating, incidents escalated. The CPSC recalled the smartwatches in March 2022, affecting around 1.7 million units globally after receiving 115 complaints in the U.S.

Despite possessing information that reasonably supported the conclusion that the smartwatches contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury, Fitbit did not immediately report to the Commission as required.

In 2020, Fitbit launched a firmware update to mitigate the potential for battery overheating, but it did not stop the problem and reports of burns continued to roll in.

Read at New York Post