After refusing to cooperate with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) almost a year ago, electronic skateboard manufacturer Future Motion is now recalling 300,000 of its Onewheel skateboards amid reports of four deaths and multiple serious injuries.
Onewheel e-skateboards are self-balancing boards with a single wheel in the middle of the board and front and rear footpads where the rider stands astride the wheel. Depending on the model, some boards can reach significant speeds.
On September 29, 2023, Onewheel issued a joint recall with the CPSC warning its customers to immediately stop using all Onewheel models because they can “stop balancing the rider if the boards’ limits are exceeded.” The recall involves the Onewheel (original), Onewheel+, Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X and Onewheel GT. Future Motion is rolling out a firmware update worldwide with a new feature called “haptic buzz” which it says will allow riders to “hear and feel when experiencing certain situations that can result in a crash.” The update is not available for original Onewheel and Onewheel+ skateboards, and consumers are instructed to request a pro-rated refund from Future Motion in the form of a store credit upon confirmation of disposal of the product.
According to the recall notice, the four deaths occurred between 2019 and 2021 and resulted from head trauma. In three of the cases, the rider was not wearing a helmet. Other injuries linked to the skateboards include traumatic brain injury, concussion, paralysis, body fractures and ligament damage. A review of the SaferProducts.gov database reveals that in 2022 at least 50 complaints about Onewheels were filed with the CPSC. Most involved riders who said they were ejected or fell or that the board suddenly stopped.
Online, numerous videos can be found that show riders being violently ejected from Onewheels. One such video involves Adam Savage, the former co-host of the science television program MythBusters. Savage has proclaimed his “love” for Onewheels on YouTube and has “logged hundreds and hundreds of miles” on various Onewheels that he has owned. He even built his own Onewheel+ XR at Future Motion’s manufacturing facility and is featured on the company’s website. Yet even as an experienced rider, Savage took a violent nosedive from his board, as captured in this video.
Previously, in November 2022, the CPSC issued a warning about the risk of “serious injury or death” associated with Onewheels and urged consumers not to ride, buy, resell or donate them. The CPSC wanted to recall the product at that time, but contrary to popular belief the safety agency does not have the authority to unilaterally recall unsafe products without a company’s cooperation. Future Motion did not cooperate and instead doubled down with a defiant press release in which it characterized the safety agency’s warning as “unjustified and alarmist.” The company stated that it tested a number of boards that riders claimed suddenly stopped and found nothing wrong with them. In a letter directed at the CPSC which Future Motion posted to its Instagram account, the company glossed over the fatalities and catastrophic injuries with a statement that its customers “would rather live an inspired life than one stuck on the couch.”
Future Motion openly states on its website that Onewheels can be “extremely dangerous” when a rider exceeds the speed at which the board can safely go, which is determined by a number of factors including available battery charge, grade of terrain, speed, tire pressure and rider weight. All Onewheels are equipped with a safety feature called “pushback,” which is supposed to alert the rider when the board is approaching its limits, before it shuts down. During pushback, the board’s nose is supposed to lift up, to alert the rider to lean back to slow down. Pictorials on the company’s website show riders hurling face-first off the board after ignoring or trying to push through pushback. But the accident reports made to the CPSC do not involve either of these two scenarios. To the contrary, the reported incidents involve riders who claim they were unexpectedly thrown from their Onewheels without warning (or perhaps a warning that was difficult to detect) when the board apparently reached its operational limits and abruptly stopped.
The “haptic buzz” firmware update that Onewheel owners are instructed to download pursuant to the recall provides a buzzing sensation that riders can hear and feel when the board is approaching its operational limits, is low on battery or enters an error state, according to the recall notice. It remains to be seen whether haptic buzz will improve Onewheel’s safety record.
What Should I Do If I Have Been Injured While Riding a Onewheel?
Alan M. Feldman, a co-founding partner and product liability attorney at Feldman Shepherd, said that while he is pleased that Future Motion has updated its firmware to hopefully improve the safety of Onewheels, “it is irresponsible that Future Motion refused to immediately recall this dangerous product in the wake of multiple reports of deaths and serious injuries that called into question the safety of this product.” Feldman said Future Motion could potentially bear legal liability if defective product design has caused avoidable injuries and deaths. He recommends contacting a product liability attorney immediately if you or a loved one was seriously injured while riding a Onewheel.
The product liability team at Feldman Shepherd, which also includes partners Daniel J. Mann and Edward S. Goldis, has achieved substantial recoveries on behalf of individuals injured by dangerous products including unsafely designed cars and trucks, children’s products and toys, unsafe furniture, cranes and lift equipment, household appliances, industrial equipment, lawnmowers, power tools, and hunting accessories and devices.