Hoverboards: Last Year's Christmas Craze Turned Fire Hazard, A Lesson In Holiday Recalls

Hoverboards: Last Year’s Christmas Craze Turned Fire Hazard, A Lesson In Holiday Recalls

Posted December 1, 2016

A Lesson in Holiday Recalls

Remember the self-balancing scooter that set the market ablaze last year as one of the most popular holiday gifts of 2015?

If so, you might also know that these popular “hoverboards” also set people’s homes ablaze across the world, leading to holiday recalls and bans by airlines refusing to carry the devices on board.

By the time 10 companies recalled over half a million hoverboards in July 2016, there were “at least 99 incident reports of the battery packs in self-balancing scooters/hoverboards overheating, sparking, smoking, catching fire and/or exploding including reports of burn injuries and property damage.”

Hoverboards have burnt down houses in Louisiana, Tennessee, Hong Kong, London, and many other places. For a list of holiday recalls of hoverboard companies and models click here.

Here’s a lesson the exploding hoverboard can teach us, especially as we carry out the 2016 holiday season – popular technological marvels that quickly sweep the market are often untested devices, some of which are made overseas in the absence of global manufacturing standards.

But don’t think you have to abstain from technology – just do your research before you buy:

Who is the manufacturer?
Where is the product manufactured?
Does the manufacturer offer a minimum one year warranty?
Does the manufacturer have certifications or offer any other guarantees?
Has the company been involved in any recalls?

According to the United States Fire Administration, residential house fires kill more Americans every year than all natural disasters combined. Structure fires can spread very quickly, consuming a home in mere minutes.

Here are some home fire safety precautions everyone should use:

Complete a Home Fire Safety Checklist
Know the Fire Evacuation Plan if you live in an apartment building
Make a Fire Escape Plan for your own home
Place fire alarms in rooms and hallways on all floors of your house
Check fire alarms regularly and replace tired batteries
In the event of fire, get out and stay out! Never go back into a burning structure!

For many families, fire safety is already very important. But no matter how prepared you or your family might be, no one can predict every fire hazard. Make sure you know all safety precautions for products you purchase this holiday season.

In the event you or a loved one are injured by a defective product, contact the experienced product liability and personal injury lawyers at Pribanic & Pribanic. Call toll free for a free consultation today at 1-800-392-4529.

Pribanic & Pribanic wishes you a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.

Melissa Troutman

Melissa Troutman is a journalist, writer and vocal artist. She began full-time writing in 2010 as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Coudersport, Pennsylvania before co-founding the investigative news nonprofit Public Herald, where she now serves as Executive Director. Melissa co-wrote, -directed and -edited the documentary Triple Divide (2013), which she also narrates with award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo. Follow her on twitter @melissat22.