GoPro will relaunch the recalled Karma Drone sometime in 2017, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. GoPro recalled the quadcopter in November after receiving reports of the machine’s motor cutting out during flight. The company is finishing testing and will share additional details on the quadcopter’s availability in February, according to a press release.
The $800 folding quadcopter only started shipping in October and is GoPro’s first foray into the drone market.
The company said it had come to its attention that “in a very small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation.”
That’s not good when you have a 2.2-pound machine buzzing about over property or even people, though GoPro added that, up to the time of the recall, no accidents or injuries had been reported.
“Owners of Karma can return their units to GoPro, or their place of purchase, for a full refund,” the company said in a statement. “Replacement units are not being offered. GoPro plans to resume shipment of Karma as soon as the issue is resolved.”
All of the shipped Karmas are being recalled, which total 2,500 units, according to GoPro. CEO Nick Woodman said safety is the company’s “top priority.”
“A very small number of Karma owners have reported incidents of power failure during operation. We have moved quickly to recall all units of Karma and provide a full refund while we investigate the issue,” Woodman said in a statement. “We are working in close coordination with both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration. 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.”
For more details on how to return your Karma, hit this page. The quadcopter is currently showing as “temporarily unavailable” in its online store.
The recall of its brand new product is a serious blow for the California-based company as it fights to turn its business around following a cooling of the action-camera market that’s caused its profits to dive. Shortly after the recall, GoPro announced a restructuring plan that included eliminating 200 jobs.
Updated on 01-04-2017 by Hillary Grigonis: Added updated information regarding the relaunch.
