Imagine purchasing a smartwatch to monitor your fitness objectives, only to have a trusted device cause second- or third-degree burns on your wrist.

When hundreds of unwary Fitbit users’ Ionic smartwatches began to overheat, this dread became a reality. Fitbit has already paid a $12.25 million penalty as part of a settlement with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for the problem, which led to significant injuries.

However, this is more than just a narrative about a defective product; it’s a warning about product safety, corporate accountability, and how businesses deal with flaws. If you’ve ever wondered how safe your wearable devices are, this story is one you can’t afford to miss.

What Happened with Fitbit’s $12.25 Million Penalty?

Touted as a state-of-the-art fitness tracker, the Fitbit Ionic wristwatch was recalled in March 2022 due to many reports of its lithium-ion battery burning. These occurrences weren’t unique.

Fitbit received 115 reports of overheating batteries between 2018 and 2020. Of those, 78 customers experienced burns, some of which were as serious as third-degree burns.

Fitbit’s response: To fix the overheating problem, Fitbit released a firmware update in early 2020. This did not, however, stem the mounting number of injury reports.

Fitbit violated federal standards pertaining to consumer product safety by failing to promptly alert the CPSC of the ongoing dangers.