Image courtesy of Jetson Electric Bikes LLC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Jetson Electric Bikes LLC, of Brooklyn, New York, announced the recall of about 53,000 42-volt, Jetson Rogue, self-balancing scooters/hoverboards on March 30, due to a fire hazard and two deaths. According to CPSC and Jetson, the lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a fire hazard.
In the context of the recall, representatives of CPSC and Jetson, said a 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister died from a fire on April 1, 2022 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania and that the Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined that a 42-volt Jetson Rogue was the point of origin of the fire.
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, according to CPSC and Jetson representatives.
Image courtesy of Jetson Electric Bikes LLC
They said the fire spread from the room of origin to other portions of the house, resulting in the deaths of the two girls and smoke inhalation injuries to the girls’ parents. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
The representatives said there have been multiple other reports of the recalled scooters/hoverboards burning, sparking or melting, several of which, they said, involved reports of flames.
CPSC and Jetson are urging consumers to immediately stop using and stop charging the recalled scooters/hoverboards and to contact Jetson for a full refund. They said consumers should follow the instructions at http://www.ridejetson.com/rogue-recall to submit photographs of the hoverboard’s serial number, charger, its purchase date and affirmation of disposal of the hoverboard in accordance with state or local ordinances for lithium-ion batteries.
Image courtesy of Jetson Electric Bikes LLC
They said photos can be submitted online, by email or by postal mail, and said because the hoverboard’s lithium-ion battery must be handled differently than other batteries, consumers should not deposit the rogue’s battery in battery recycling boxes found at retailers or home improvement stores. They added that nor should consumers dispose of the rogue’s battery in the trash. “Consumers should follow the procedures established by their municipal recycling center for disposal of recalled lithium-ion batteries,” they wrote.
Representatives said the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards have two wheels with light-up hubcaps and come in the following colors: black, blue, red, pink, and purple with a black platform. They said Jetson is printed on one side of the body and on the top of the footpads.
Affected units were manufactured from 2018 through 2019 and have a UL certification label and serial number on the bottom of the unit, CPSC and Jetson representatives said. Affected units do NOT have a barcode on the bottom of the unit, and units with a barcode next to the serial number are NOT included in this recall, they added.
Image courtesy of Jetson Electric Bikes LLC
The charge port on affected units has three pins and is located to the left of the power button, according to CPSC and Jetson representatives. Units with a charge port that has just one pin (located to the right of the power button) are not included in this recall.
CPSC recently reminded consumers to exercise caution with micro-mobility devices such as hoverboards, saying consumers should always be present when charging such devices and only charge them with their supplied charger. “Do not use recalled hoverboards or other recalled micromobility devices,” they said. “For further information see Micromobility: E-Bikes, E-Scooters and Hoverboards | CPSC.gov.”
Image courtesy of Jetson Electric Bikes LLC
Jetson officials said they are contacting all known purchasers directly. Consumers can also contact Jetson at 800-635-4815 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at http://www.ridejetson.com/rogue-recall or https://ridejetson.com and click on “SAFETY & RECALL” at the top of the page for more information. The recall number is 23-165.
As previously reported, federal officials recently recalled Chinese-manufactured, lithium-ion batteries due to safety concerns.
New federal, City, and State laws have been introduced to address fire safety prevention around e-bike use.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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