National News posted Mar 2, 2022 @ 08:20am by Canadian Press

Health Canada recalls over 70,000 Fitbit smartwatches

Health Canada is warning anyone with several models of Fitbit's Ionic smartwatch to immediately stop using the device because its battery can overheat and may cause burns.

The agency has issued a joint recall of the product with Fitbit and consumer protection agencies in the United States and Mexico.

The affected watches include four models in various colours, each with a 3.6-centimetre colour LCD display and a four-day life for its lithium-ion battery.

<who> Photo credit: Health Canada

Health Canada advises consumers to contact Fitbit for a refund.

Health Canada says Fitbit received 115 reports of the watch's battery overheating in the United States as of Feb. 15, but none so far in Canada or Mexico.

The company says approximately 70,561 units of the affected product were sold in Canada from August 2017 to August 2020.

The warnings come amid a joint recall with Health Canada, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Mexico's consumer protection agency PROFECO and Fitbit LLC.