CPSC Issues Strong Warning About Onewheel Electric Skateboards After Future Motion Refuses Recall

There was a time when so-called hoverboards were regularly in the news over risks that primarily revolved around exploding batteries, something that led to more than one recall. Hoverboards are old news, though, as a new type of electric skateboard has proven popular: the Onewheel from Future Motion. As the name suggests, this skateboard features one giant wheel in the center, which the rider straddles by placing a foot on each side of the board, as well as an electric motor and battery to power the device.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a warning related to the Onewheel skateboards on November 16, advising consumers to stop using the electric boards over the risk of suffering injuries — ones that, in at least four cases, were reportedly fatal. The company behind the skateboards refuses a recall and said in a press release that users should exercise common sense to protect themselves (via PRNewswire). However, the CPSC's evaluation indicates that some injuries may result from issues outside of the user's control.

The CPSC's warning covers all Onewheel electric skateboards and follows what the agency says was an evaluation of the products. From 2019 to 2021, the CPSC claims that "at least four reported deaths" resulted from injuries suffered by riders who were "ejected" from the boards. As well, some riders are said to have experienced "serious injuries" after being thrown from the skateboard, including things as severe as paralysis and traumatic brain injury.

Based on the language in the advisory, it sounds like the CPSC has found potential issues with the Onewheel devices that could cause these problems. The agency notes that injuries have happened "after the product failed to balance the rider or suddenly stopped while in motion." Assuming that is the case, these issues would likely be outside of the user's control. Future Motion was informed of the CPSC's findings and refused to initiate a recall, the agency's advisory reveals.

Soon after the CPSC published its warning, Future Motion published a press release to address the claims, stating that the Onewheel skateboards are safe but come with "inherent risks" described as akin to those one faces when using a traditional skateboard and other similar products. Future Motion went on to call the CPSC's advisory "unjustified and alarmist," tossing in a note about being a small business with assembly in the U.S. for good measure. The company challenges the CPSC's indication that hardware issues may have been at play, stating, "Future Motion has evaluated a number of boards that the rider claims suddenly stopped, and in no case have we found any underlying technical issue with the board. All of these boards performed as designed and were test ridden for many miles without any performance issues."