Government Says All Hoverboards May Be Unsafe

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ALLEN (CBS11) - The federal government says there may be an imminent hazard inside your home and now it's planning a crackdown on hoverboards.

Regulators are threatening to recall and seize some of the scooters and asking all hoverboard makers to stop selling the devices until they can be certified as safe.

Tschaner Sefas agreed to let her nine-year-old son have a ripstick-style skateboard, but when he asked for a hoverboard, she was reluctant.

"Well, it's a hoverboard. It hovers. I mean that takes a lot of balance," Sefas said.

But that risk of falling isn't what led government regulators to call on sellers to comply with new safety standards. The batteries and chargers that power the hoverboards have come under scrutiny as potential fire hazards. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says since December it has investigated 52 self-balancing scooter fires resulting in more than $2 million in damages.

"You know, I just think they need to test these things out more initially, so that there's not that risk there," Sefas said.

That's why regulators are urging anyone who manufactures, imports, or sells the hoverboards to ensure that their products meet the new standards. So far none that are currently on the market do, and that is likely to result in a recall. Now parents like Sefas say before she buys a hoverboard for her child, she wants to know it's safe.

"And there's proof of that. Instead of them just putting them out and saying, oh we've made improvements. I think we should be able to see that there really are improvements," Sefas said.

CBS11 spoke to a local importer who tells us he's all sold out of the hoverboards and he expects it to take longer to get in new shipments now.

A CPSC spokesperson tells us until there is a recall, anyone who already owns a hoverboard should contact either the manufacturer or the retailer.

The CPSC says it's possible that when companies start testing, some hoverboards could be deemed safe, but they also say that's unlikely without making changes.

So until a seller can certify that their product meets the new standards, the CPSC says you should demand your money back.

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