This year's most popular Christmas present could kill you

This year's hottest Christmas present is about to become a lot hotter -- in a very literal way.

A staggering 90% of all hoverboards imported into Britain since mid-October have been seized because they have a high risk of exploding.

SEE ALSO: Police say it's illegal to ride a 'hoverboard' on the streets of NYC

Retailers who stocked up on the devices for the holiday shopping season were shocked when safety officials impounded a total of 17,000 of the self-balancing scooters because it was suspected they all had a faulty plug that "increased the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire."

Of those 17,000 hoverboards inspected, the U.K. National Trading Standards Organization said they found that an alarming 88% of them did in fact contain the faulty electronics that make them prone to exploding.

However, the U.K. isn't the only country raising a red flag about hoverboards. In the U.S., The National Fire Marshals Organization issued an advisory on Friday, warning that explosions are "not a unique occurrence" in the gadgets.

A Louisiana couple lost their home the day after getting their 12-year-old son a FitTurbo hoverboard for his birthday. The toy exploded and burned the boy's bedroom and home to a crisp.

Last week in Boca Raton, Florida, an 11-year old girl barely missed getting burned by her new hoverboard. "She felt it get hot, she jumped off, and it was in flames," her mother said in a statement.

On Tuesday morning, a hoverboard exploded at a Washington mall kiosk, sending shoppers into a panic.

If you still plan on purchasing a hoverboard as a gift or for yourself, the best way you can stay safe is to refrain from purchasing a cheaper knockoff, as both of the aforementioned organizations reported those as the most likely to explode.

%shareLinks-quote="Consumers should not let a new fashion or craze cloud their judgment and remain vigilant at all times, to avoid taking home an unsafe product." type="quote" author="Leon Livermore" authordesc="Chief Executive of Charted Trading Standards Institute" isquoteoftheday="false"% Sure, you may have to spend a couple hundred more bucks, but keeping your feet is priceless.

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