uTarget Temporarily Pulls Swagway “Hoverboards” Over Safety Concernsr

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• Just days after Amazon handed a blow to “hoverboard” manufacturers, pulling the self-balancing scooters (that don’t actually hover) from its marketplace over safety concerns, another major retailer is following suit: Target took down listings for the scooters on Monday. 

  Mashable reports that Target pulled Swagway X1 hoverboards from its website yesterday in the wake of safety concerns related to the device’s potential to catch on fire.

  A spokesperson for Target confirmed it took down the listings to ensure the products had documentation that showed they complied with battery and charger safety standards.

  The company says it plans to re-list the scooters on Tuesday, as Swagway provided the required documentation. The hoverboard manufacturer did not provide comment to Mashable on the products being pulled.

  A search of “hoverboard” on Target’s website on Tuesday morning showed only results for the Razor Hovertrax. A similar search for Swagway came up empty. A link provided by Mashable includes the description for a Swagway scooter in its URL, but the item page lists the item as unavailable.

  Hoverboards, which have been a hot holiday item, have had a less than stellar few weeks. First a family claimed a recently purchased scooter burst into flames while charging, causing significant damage to their home.

  Next, Razor filed a lawsuit against Swagway, accusing the leading hoverboard distributor of patent infringement. And last week, several airlines announced bans on the devices, as the contain lithium batteries.

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist