Fitbit will pay a civil penalty of $12.25 million after it “knowingly failed to immediately report” a defect in its Ionic smartwatches that caused dozens of people to sustain burn injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Thursday.
Fitbit agreed to pay the penalty after reaching a settlement with the CPSC.
The commission brought charges against the company for not following the law in reporting a defect that could create a product hazard or cause risk of injury or death.
Consumers began reporting overheating issues with the Ionic smartwatches to Fitbit in 2018. The reports continued into 2019 and 2020, with some consumers telling the company that they sustained second- and third-degree burns on their arms or wrists from the defect.
In 2020, Fitbit launched a firmware update to “mitigate the potential for battery overheating,” but it did not stop the problem and reports of burns continued to roll in.
“Despite possessing information that reasonably supported the conclusion that the smartwatches contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury, Fitbit did not immediately report to the Commission as required,” the CPSC said.
Though Fitbit stopped producing the Ionic smartwatches in 2020, they were recalled by the CPSC and Fitbit on March 2, 2022, impacting approximately 1.7 million units worldwide.
The recall stated that there were at least 115 reports of the smartwatch’s battery overheating in the U.S., causing burn injuries to 78 Americans. Two people reported third-degree burns, while four reported second-degree burns.
In addition, there were 59 reports of overheating made internationally causing burn injuries to 40 people.
The settlement also requires Fitbit to “maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance.”
Fitbit also agreed to submit annual reports on its enhanced compliance program and internal controls, as well as an internal audit on the effectiveness of compliance policies, procedures, systems and training.