Are hoverboards too dangerous for Santa?

One of the toys topping holiday wish lists this year may just be too hot to handle.

Hoverboards, also known as self-balancing scooters,may be this year's most-wanted gift, with manycompanies hoping to cash in on the trendy transportation device.

But safety concerns about the technology in particular thatsome of the batteries and charging equipment have caused firesare making the toymore difficult to buy, travel with and even use this holiday season.

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Hoverboards, whichdon't actually float above the ground, look like theSegway electric scootersminus the handle. A rider's body weight directs which way the board travels, andsome can move as fast as 16 kilometres an hour.

It's also not a cheap gift. A Swagwayversionsells for about $550, which the company calls "a competitive low price point." On the higher end, AirWheels' most expensive hoverboard, the airboard extreme, costs nearly $1,450.

You never want to see a recreational device become a hazard like that.- Lewis Smith, Canada Safety Council

The cost isn't proving prohibitive to many adventurers, though.

EBay claims to have sold one hoverboardevery 12 seconds on Cyber Monday that's about 7,500total. Celebrities, including Justin Bieber,Wiz Khalifaand Skrillex, havebeen photographed trying out the transportation device.

Hoverboard batteries linked to fires

Despite their popularity, though,some retailers are pulling the product from their virtual shelvesbecause of safety concerns, which could make it more difficult for hoverboards to end up in Santa's gift bag over the holidays.

This month, Overstock.com announced it would stop selling these electric scooters "due to growing safety concerns," according to a company statement.

Online retail giant Amazon appears to be taking some precautionary moves as well. Some hoverboards, including Swagway,stopped appearing in Amazon search results this week. Amazondid not respond to a request for comment.

Amazon sent a notice Fridaytohoverboardmakers demanding they prove their products comply with certain safety standards, including battery and charger types,Swagwaysaid in a statement.

Swagwayadheres to these standards, the company says, and is glad Amazon is working to remove "low quality boards" from its site.By Wednesday afternoon, Amazon search results once again included Swagway hoverboards.

The problems with some boards seem tostem from the type of lithium-ion battery theycontain.Somelow-quality or counterfeit batterieshave been linked to fires.

"There are some models that are poorly made, or that are knock-off models that have batteries that can overheat and explode," says Lewis Smith, the communications and media program coordinatorfor the Canada Safety Council, a non-profit organizationpromoting safety.

"You never want to see a recreational device become a hazard like that," he says.

Major airlines ban toys from flights

In the months leading up to the holidays, U.K. border officials stoppedmore than 15,000 hoverboards from entering Britain, according to the National Trading Standards Board.

Many of these toys had faulty plugs that had an increased risk of the hoverboard "overheating, exploding or catching fire," the NTSB said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have seized 164 hoverboards that had "fake batteries or other counterfeit marks," according to a statement.

In October, the London Fire Brigade in the U.K. warned hoverboard ownersnot toleave the boards unattended while charging. The warning came after two fires that month, one seemingly started by a charging electric unicycle and the other by a hoverboard.

Earlier this month, a Swagway hoverboardmalfunctioned, caught fire and "caused considerable smoke damage" to a residence in Chappaqua, N.Y., according to a statement from the local fire department. If the residents had been away at the time, their home would have "significant fire damage."

Swagway did not respond to requests for comment about its product being involved in this incident, but it says on its website that the company uses "top quality" batteries.

Overstock.com won't re-stock the toys until the company is certain the industry has eliminated any safety risk posed by batteries, chargers or other components, saidNatalie Malaszenko, the company's senior vice-president of marketing.

As concerns over the batteries grow, some airlinesin the U.S. and Canada have banned travellers from bringing hoverboardsas carry-on or checked luggage.

Air Canada called the move a "precautionary measure ... given safety risks associated with the size of the batteries that power them."

WestJet, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines also refuse to transport hoverboards, which could make it difficult for people who have to travel to their holiday celebrations to bring a hoverboard as a gift for someone.

Limited space for hoverboardtransit

For the people who do end up unwrapping a hoverboard this holiday, there's still the question of where they can actually use it.

Some jurisdictionshave outlawed hoverboardsfrom roads and sidewalks.

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In the U.K., people can only legally ride hoverboards on private property with permission from the owner, according to the Department for Transport.

In Ontario, hoverboards aren't allowed on roads, according to an emailfromBob Nichols, a senior media liaison officer for the Ministry of Transportation. Municipalities would be responsible for regulating their use on sidewalks, trails, parks and bike paths.

In Alberta,anyone commuting on a hoverboard on a sidewalk or highway could face a fine of $270, says Aaron Manton, press secretary for the Ministry of Infrastructureand Transportation, in an email. Alberta only allowshoverboard useon private property.

In B.C., hoverboards and other new technology devicescan't be used on public roads or sidewalks, according to an email from Sonia Lowe, a public affairs officer at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Anyonebreaking that rule could be fined $109.Some municipal bylaws may allow hoverboards in skate parks or on paved trails, she said.

TheCanada Safety Council is against "any kind ofmotorizedrecreational device" on sidewalks, Lewis says. Hoverboards should remain on private property, like residential driveways, or in parks, depending on local rules, he says.

"You don't want to see [ahoverboard]crashing into apedestrianbecause, odds are, it won't end well."