The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Fitbit has reached a settlement over claims that the company did not report issues with its smartwatches.
Fitbit will pay a $12.25 million civil penalty, the agency said.
The Ionic smartwatches, according to the CPSC, had a defect that would allow them to overheat. The company had several reports that the watch caused burns, some as severe as second- or third-degree to a wearer’s arm or wrist from 2018 into 2020.
Despite having information that supported that the watch had a defect, Fitbit failed to report it immediately to the CPSC, the agency said.
Fitbit issued a software update in 2020 that was supposed to correct the issue but people still were being burned. They were eventually recalled in 2022.
In addition to the monetary penalty, Fitbit must have internal controls and procedures that make sure that the company complies with the Consumer Product Safety Act and will have to submit a yearly report about its compliance efforts.
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