Float History

A key issue affecting the early production models of the Onewheel GT was “ghosting”, where the footpad sensor remains active after a rider leaves the board, causing the board to stay engaged and drive away as if a “ghost” is riding it. This unintended behavior poses a serious risk to persons and property as the board will accelerate to its top capable speed (roughly 30 mph) and continue traveling until the board topples over or the sensor recognizes the error.

This issue became so widespread that on August 11, 2022, Future Motion, Inc. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled thousands of GT footpads. Consumers can determine if their footpad is affected by visiting recall.onewheel.com, and if affected, receive a replacement footpad free of charge.

The recall revealed that by August 11, 2022, Future Motion, Inc. had received 813 reports of “ghosting”, with 11 of those reports including injuries.

To mitigate the ghosting issue, Future Motion, Inc. started manufacturing GT footpads with an additional layer of plastic between the grip tape and the sensor, rendering the sensor less sensitive to pressure and thus less likely to receive false-positive readings. There are numerous community tutorials available instructing users how to remove this extra layer of plastic if desired, as some riders prefer the previous, more sensitive pressure sensors (accepting the higher risk of “ghosting” and of damaging their sensor during the modification.)

On this date, The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) posted a warning about the risk of death and serious injury with all models of Future Motion Inc.’s Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards. Siting at least four reported deaths between 2019 and 2021 and multiple reports of serious injuries after the product failed to balance the rider or suddenly stopped while in motion.

CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka stated “Immediately stop using all Onewheel electric skateboards—they are not worth dying for.”

According to the CPSC, Future Motion, Inc. refused to agree to an acceptable recall of the product. Future Motion, Inc. issued a press release and public message regarding the CPSC statement on social media, calling CPSC’s warning “unjustified and alarmist”.

In conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Future Motion, Inc. voluntarily recalls 300,000 Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards, involving all Onewheel models. At the same time, Future Motion, Inc. released the Haptic Buzz alert functionality (release video), which addresses the safety concerns in the recall via a firmware update that was available by September 29, 2023 to Onewheel GT, and available via a much later update on Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, and Onewheel Pint X.

According to Future Motion, Inc., the original Onewheel and Onewheel+ models are not eligible for the firmware update, so they should not be used. Onewheel and Onewheel+ owners can confirm eligibility and possession to receive a $100 credit toward the purchase of a new Onewheel.

Although Future Motion, Inc. originally stated there would be a way for Onewheel Racing League members who met a mileage minimum to disable Haptic Buzz, this feature never actually launched. It is commonly speculated that the feature was scraped in order satisfy the CPSC.

(If you know the exact date the Haptic Buzz firmware was available for Onewheel+ XR, Onewheel Pint, or Onewheel Pint X, please send me a message!)