Lime issues its second scooter recall in less than a month

Reuters

• Lime has
  recalled scooters made by Okai after a rash of handlebars
  breaking from the riding platform. 
• The company did not say how many of its scooters were
  affected or in which markets. 
• It’s the second recall of Lime scooters in less than a
  month, after it recalled Segway-made models due to fire
  risks. 

Scooter and bike startup Lime has
issued its second recall in less than a month after reports that
some of its models from Chinese manufacturer Okai were breaking
in half “when subjected to repeated abuse.”

The Washington Post first asked
Lime about the issues on Friday, leading the company to issue a
recall. It declined to disclose how many Okai-made scooters are
in its global fleet, or in which cities they operated. Still,
users on social media in Portland, Denver, Baltimore, Paris,
France and more reported encounters with broken Lime scooters in
recent days.

Lime did not respond to a request for comment, but told the
Washington post that safety is its “highest priority.”

“The vast majority of Lime’s fleet is manufactured by other
companies and decommissioned Okai scooters are being replaced
with newer, more advanced scooters considered best in class for
safety,” it said. “We don’t anticipate any real service
disruptions.”

Instagram

Okai did not respond to a request for comment from Business
Insider.

Lime previously issued a recall on about 2,000 Segway-made
Ninebot scooters on October 31 after reports that some were
catching on fire. The company said it was investigating the
“unconfirmed” incidents in at least three cities and had removed
the scooters from its operations.

Read more: 
Lime
wants to be more than a scooter startup — and it’s hired an
executive from one of the world’s best-known luxury fashion
companies to help it get there

After the previous recall, Lime launched a $3 million “respect
the ride” campaign, which it touted as
 multi-pronged approach to rider education, equipping our
community with the resources necessary to make each smart
mobility trip a safe and enjoyable experience.”

The company also gave away 250,000 free helmets.

“I have picked up 5 scooters cracked in half now,” one juicer —
the company’s term for people paid to charge scooters,
said on Reddit. “This must be a serious design flaw”

“Did Lime not anticipate that people would be rough with the
scooters?,” another asked. “Birds aren’t breaking. About 1 in 6
scooters I’ve picked up lately have small cracks on the underside
of the deck.”

Do you work at Lime? Got a tip? Contact this reporter
via Signal or WhatsApp at +1 (646) 376-6102 using a non-work
phone, email at [email protected], or Twitter DM
at 


@g_rapier.


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