Fitbit has been fined $12 million over its Ionic smartwatches that caused 78 people to burn

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has tentatively accepted the settlement. The committee worked with Fitbit to recall 1.7 million Ionic watches in 2022 after receiving 115 reports of overheating batteries. Of those reports, 78 cited burn injuries, including two cases in which consumers suffered third-degree burns from their watches and four cases of second-degree burns. Despite complaints throughout 2018, 2019 and 2020 — which continued after a firmware update to address the issue in 2020 — the government agency says “Fitbit did not immediately report to the committee as requested“.

The recall only affects Fitbit Ionic watches, but some consumers say other Fitbit devices have similar issues. In 2023, Consumers filed a lawsuit against Google — which owns Fitbit — claims all of its devices had battery issues that caused them to overheat, create fire risks, and even burn customers. The complaint alleges that Fitbit attempted to blame watch issues on “consumer hygiene” and included multiple Fitbit customer support accounts who asked about problems with their watches.

Under the settlement, Fitbit will now be required to maintain internal controls to ensure all of its devices are compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Act.