The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced the recall of about 53,000 Jetson Rogue self-balancing scooters/hoverboards. The lithium-ion battery packs in these products may overheat, posing a fire hazard.
The company is aware of at least two deaths related to this type of fire. Consumers with these products in their homes should stop using them immediately and contact Jetson for a full refund.
Hoverboard Starts Fire that Kills Two Young Girls
On April 1, 2022, two young girls—Brianna, who was 15 years old, and Abigail, who was 10—were trapped on the second floor of their home in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, when a fire erupted. Their mother escaped from the first floor. Their father was in the garage when the fire broke out. He tried to reach the girls but was unable to.
Firefighters eventually rescued the girls, but they both died at the hospital from smoke inhalation and the effects of the fire. The Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal later determined that a 42-volt Jetson Rogue hoverboard was the point of origin of the fire. This is the hoverboard that is now being recalled (almost a year later).
The girls’ parents filed a lawsuit against manufacturer Jetson Electric Bikes and Walmart, where they purchased the hoverboard, in September 2022. They claimed that the hoverboard was defective and unreasonably dangerous and that Jetson should have known it could short-circuit and cause fires while charging.
According to the complaint, the father bought the hoverboard for Brianna for Christmas in 2018. On the day of the fire, Abigail was charging it in her bedroom when it caught fire. The fire started at the southeast corner, then burned across the entire first floor.
Which Hoverboards Are Being Recalled?
The recalled self-balancing scooters/hoverboards were sold at Target stores nationwide and online at www.target.com from August 2018 through June 2019 and at www.ridejetson.com from January 2019 through November 2021 for between $100 and $150.
The products are all 42-volt, have two wheels, and light-up hubcaps on the wheels. They come in black, blue, red, pink, and purple, all with a black platform. Jetson is printed on one side of the body and on top of the footpads.
All of the affected units have a serial number beginning with the letters “ROG.” You can find it on a sticker affixed to the underside of the unit. If the product has a barcode next to the serial number, it is not included in this recall.
How to Get Your Refund
To get a refund for a recalled hoverboard, follow these instructions:
- Submit photographs of the hoverboard’s serial number, charger, purchase date, and affirmation of disposal of the hoverboard per state or local ordinances for lithium-ion batteries.
- You can submit the photos online, by email, or by postal email.
- Do not deposit the battery in battery recycling boxes found at retailers or home improvement stores, or in the trash. Check with your local municipal recycling center.
The CPSC warns consumers to exercise caution with these types of devices and to always be present when charging them. Only charge with the supplied charger.
Exclusively focused on representing plaintiffs, especially in mass tort litigation, Eric Chaffin prides himself on providing unsurpassed professional legal services in pursuit of the specific goals of his clients and their families. Both his work and his cases have been featured in the national press, including on ABC’s Good Morning America.
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