Several user posts and employee communications show some Lime scooter decks become compromised and break during use.
Images of Lime scooters broken in half have spread across social media, prompting the California-based company to issue a global recall of a certain model, according to the Washington Post.
On Nov. 10, Lime told the Post it was “looking into reports that scooters manufactured by Okai may break and [that it is] working cooperatively with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the relevant authorities internationally to get to the bottom of this.”
Okai is a Chinese manufacturer that makes some of Lime’s scooters. As of this report, the CPSC has not issued a mandatory recall or safety warning. But in a company blog post dated Oct. 30, the brand acknowledged the Okai baseboards could break “when subjected to repeated abuse.”
The Post also reported that Lime mechanics found scooters began to crack “within days” of initial use. The mechanics said scooters could break “after a few small hops” with riders weighing as little as 145 pounds.
According to Lime, the danger resulted from certain riding behaviors.
“We also consistently and thoroughly educate our riders on the correct and safest ways to ride,” the brand said. “Nevertheless, it’s possible for Okai baseboards to crack or break if ridden off a curb at high speed. We are currently studying this issue and incorporating these learnings into our design process.”
While it’s not clear how many scooters will be pulled, GearJunkie editors have seen first-hand broken scooters that look similar to those posted online.
Lime Scooter Recall: Break While Riding
The recall comes just a couple weeks after Lime announced it was pulling scooters from Los Angeles, San Diego, and Lake Tahoe markets for fear the batteries could catch fire. Lime said that recall amounted to 0.01 percent of its fleet, or about 2,000 scooters, according to the Post.
Why are Lime scooters are cracking in half? from r/limejuicer
In response to the issues, Lime announced a new scooter model, dubbed Generation 3.0. The brand said the Generation 3.0 scooter has a “custom-designed, sturdier frame and redesigned battery, making it more durable and resilient for life on the streets.”
There have been two reported deaths among scooter riders. One man, 24-year-old Jacoby Stoneking, died in September after he was found about 500 feet from a scooter that was snapped in half, according to the Dallas Morning News. Police said there was “no evidence to suggest any other vehicles were involved in the scooter accident.”
Lime has asked anyone with concerns or questions about the scooters to contact the company with the subject line “safety.”
