Fitbit

Lawsuit alleges defect on ‘all’ Fitbit smartwatches can cause burns, says refunds are ‘suppressed’

Ben Schoon | May 2 2022 - 4:16 pm PT

Earlier this year Fitbit issued a recall on its original smartwatch, the Ionic, over reports of the watch causing skin burns for some owners. Now, a lawsuit is alleging that all Fitbit products are affected by the same defect, which could lead to skin burns.

As highlighted by the folks over at ArsTechnica, a class-action lawsuit in some US states, including California, New York, Flordia, and several others, seeks damages regarding all Fitbit smartwatches.

The lawsuit claims that “the same defect exists throughout all” Fitbit products, with the potential to cause skin burns. This is referring to the defect that caused just shy of 80 injuries in the United States, including some second- and third-degree burns, stemming from the original Fitbit Ionic smartwatch. In the case of the Ionic, faulty batteries would cause the device to overheat and cause burns.

In this lawsuit, two women in particular claim that their Fitbits caused skin burns, one with a Fitbit Versa Lite and the other with a Versa 2. There are also online reports referenced that show more examples from the Fitbit Versa line and even 2020’s Sense. Fitbit has replied to some of these cases, claiming that the examples are caused by irritation or friction, but the suit contends that it is overheating caused by a defect in the “battery and charging system” causing these problems. Ars also found a few other reports through Fitbit’s support account on Twitter.

Beyond just these various reports, this lawsuit also alleges that Google is “suppressing” refunds for its Fitbit Ionic recall. Google and Fitbit previously announced that, under the recall, Ionic owners would be entitled to a full refund of the smartwatch’s original cost. The suit claims that some users still have not received their refunds after over two months.