There have been at least 99 incidents of the two-wheeled
devices' lithium-ion battery packs overheating, sparking,
smoking, catching fire or exploding, the commission said in a
statement. The incidents include an unspecified number of burns
and property damage.
"We've all seen pictures of homes destroyed and families that
made it out just in time," Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye told
a news conference.
Consumers were urged to stop using the recalled hoverboards and
contact the companies named in the recall for a refund, repair
or replacement.
The recall covers hoverboard models from eight importers:
Digital Gadgets LLC, Monroe, New Jersey; Hoverboard LLC,
Scottsdale, Arizona; Hype Wireless, Edison, New Jersey; Keenford
Ltd, Hong Kong; PTX Performance Products USA, Irvine,
California; Razor USA LLC, Cerritos, California; Yuka Clothing,
of Miami; and Swagway LLC, of South Bend, Indiana.
The recall also affects models from two retailers - Boscov's of
Reading, Pennsylvania, and Overstock.com Inc, of Salt Lake City,
Utah.
The models were sold from June 2015 through May for between $350
and $900, the commission statement said. The scooters and
batteries were made in China.
The commission also said that China-based e-commerce company
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has acted on its own to require
certification from testing agencies for hoverboards listed by
third parties on its AliExpress.com and Alibaba.com online
sites.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has
recommended that the self-balancing scooters be carried only in
cabin baggage, rather than in the hold, but it remains up to
each airline to decide their exact policy.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson, editing by G Crosse)
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