CPSC Warns Consumers To Stop Using Floatwheel Self-Balancing Electric Skateboards Can Stop Suddenly, Eject Riders

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a warning to customers concerning the risk of death and serious injuries that can result from Floatwheel’s self-balancing electric skateboards. The CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using all Floatwheel models including Floatwheel adv and Floatwheel adv pro. The CPSC also stated that imports of the Floatwheel skateboards may be subject to enforcement action at U.S. ports to prevent them from being imported into the country.

The Floatwheel skateboards are made in China. Thus far, the company has refused to agree to the CPSC’s request to recall the skateboards. The company is further refusing to supply information to the CPSC regarding the products.

The CPSC investigated Floatwheel products and determined that they can suddenly stop or stop balancing the rider, which can throw the rider off the board, posing a serious fall and crash hazard that is potentially life-threatening. The CPSC said that the agency is aware of multiple reports on social media of Floatwheel ejecting riders. Several consumers reported injuries. Because Floatwheel is refusing to comply with the CPSC’s investigation, the total number of injuries and fatalities related to the skateboard is currently unknown.

Electric skateboards and product liability 

One of the first lawsuits targeting Amazon as a product retailer involved an electric skateboard that was known to catch fire, causing injury to riders. Amazon had initially hoped to avoid liability related to such lawsuits on the basis that it was only a marketplace and not a retailer like Walmart or Target. However, plaintiffs argued that several consumers had written negative reviews of the product in question and stated that the device’s lithium-ion battery was unstable resulting in a potential burn hazard.

Lawsuits involving electric skateboards can be complicated. Obviously, they can be dangerous when not used properly and the consumer assumes some risk when they purchase and use the product. However, when the product is legitimately defective and doesn’t behave the way it’s supposed to behave, and this results in a consumer being injured, they can file a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the product and the retailer who made it available to the public.

In the case of the Floatwheel product, the device can suddenly stop moving forward posing a risk of ejecting the rider from the board, potentially face-first into the ground. These electric skateboards have a high risk of causing substantial and serious injury to the public. The Chinese company that manufactured the product is not cooperating with the CPSC’s request to issue a recall. At present, all the CPSC can do is inform potential buyers that the product is unsafe.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Lawyer Today 

Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of consumers who have been injured by dangerous or defective products. Call our Florida personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin discussing your case right away.

Source:

cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2024/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Stop-Using-Floatwheel-Self-Balancing-Electric-Skateboards-Can-Stop-Suddenly-Throw-Riders-Off-Posing-Fall-and-Crash-Hazards