Lawsuit against Google claims all Fitbit smartwatches share the same overheating defect

(Image: Fitbit Versa, Courtesy: Fitbit/Google)

Two plaintiffs from Pennsylvania and California in the United States, have filed a lawsuit against Google, that alleges that all Fitbit smartwatches share the overheating defect, and can potentially be burn hazards.

In the complaint (as seen by The Verge), the lawyer for the plaintiffs argues that people, "purchase the products to burn calories - not their skin - and to safely pursue a healthy lifestyle with the aid of a smartwatch."

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Both of the lawyer's clients had bought smartwatches that were part of Fitbit's Versa line-up, and allege the watches are a burn hazard. One client says that the Versa smartwatch burned their daughter's wrist, while the other says that it left burn marks on theirs.

The complaint also includes photos of burn marks of people using other models of Fitbit smartwatches, including Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, Blaze, Inspire and Inspire 2. It also details Fitbit's lacklustre customer support.

Early last month, Fitbit announced that it would be recalling all smartwatches in its Ionic line-up after it was discovered that the batteries on the device overheat and burn users. It recalled almost 1 million watches in the US, and about 700,000 units globally. Fitbit also set-up a refund registration page for easy returns.

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The lawsuit acknowledges the recall but says Google failed to do enough to stem the problem. There are still more Fitbit smartwatches out in the wild, and not from the Ionic line-up, that still pose a serious burn hazard to users. It also notes that while Fitbit offered refunds for the Ionic line-up, the process is anything but intuitive.