# 500,000 hoverboards recalled **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270 "2016-07-07T00:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/1 "2016-07-07T00:07:51Z")
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered the recall of 500,000 hoverboards over what they are calling “fundamental design flaws” because of their tendency to explode and/or burst into flames. > **[Half A Million 'Hoverboards' Recalled Over Risk Of Fire, Explosions](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/06/484988211/half-a-million-hoverboards-recalled-over-risk-of-fire-explosions)** > > Self-balancing scooters — better known as hoverboards (though they do not hover) — can spark, smoke, catch fire or explode, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/2 "2016-07-07T01:45:31Z")
Great Scott! Sorry, couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/3 "2016-07-07T01:55:48Z")
I don’t see the phrase “design flaw” anywhere. I thought the fires were due to poor quality control of batteries, not actual design flaws? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/4 "2016-07-07T02:04:45Z")
It’s not in the link, but it’s what the spokesperson said when announcing the recall. I heard it on TV, so it must be true. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/5 "2016-07-07T02:11:40Z")
They should have been recalled for not hovering. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/6 "2016-07-07T02:16:19Z")
I can’t believe anyone still has one of those, after all the bad press they got around Christmastime. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/7 "2016-07-07T05:20:59Z")
I thought flames and explosions would be a feature, not a bug. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/8 "2016-07-07T20:24:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I thought flames and explosions would be a feature, not a bug. It’s all in the marketing. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/9 "2016-07-08T05:07:59Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > It’s all in the marketing. But do people really _want_ fire that can be fitted nasally? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/10 "2016-07-08T20:18:13Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They should have been recalled for not hovering. They do. Briefly. Just after the explosion. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/500-000-hoverboards-recalled/759270/11 "2016-07-08T21:03:23Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > But do people really _want_ fire that can be fitted nasally? For the win.