GoPro Is Recalling Its ‘Karma’ Drone
Action-video-camera maker GoPro just announced a recall of its first-ever drone, the $799 Karma. Approximately 2,500 Karma units sold since October 23rd (meaning all of them) are impacted. GoPro says "in a very small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation." Thus far, there have been no reports of injuries or property damage because of the defect.
Recalled Karma drones can be returned to GoPro directly or wherever they were purchased originally for a full refund. For now, the company has not offered any exchanges for a fixed model; consumers will have to wait until shipments resume "as soon as the issue is resolved." Nick Woodman said that GoPro is working with both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration on the recall.
GoPro executives addressed production issues surrounding the 'Karma' during last week's earnings call, but failed to mention any plans for a recall or the power issue at the time. "We are working in close coordination with both the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration," said CEO Nick Woodman in a statement from tonight's press release. "We are very sorry to have inconvenienced our customers and we are taking every step to make the return and refund process as easy as possible."
According to The Verge, the recall is a significant setback for GoPro as it attempts to challenge leader DJI in the drone business, and it follows a bruising financial quarter for the action cam maker. Last week, the company announced it missed revenue expectations by 23% in its latest quarterly earnings. This caused the stock to free fall in after-hour trading. Likewise, word about this recall caused the stock price to drop nearly 8% in after-hour trading, according to TechCrunch.
