About 23,500 Segway electric scooters are being recalled because of a risk the machine could unexpectedly apply reverse torque to the wheels, causing the rider to fall, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday.
Segway Inc. has received about six reports of scooters not operating properly and riders suffering injuries to their heads and wrists.
The commission said the hazard can occur when the scooter is tilted back by the speed limiter and the rider comes off and then back onto the scooter within a short time.
The recall affects all Segway Personal Transporter i167, i170 and i180 (i Series) models, the p133, XT (cross-terrain transporter), GT (golf transporter) and i2 models, as well as all e167 (e Series) models.
The scooters were sold through authorized dealers and distributors, directly from the company and by certain resellers to commercial customers and consumers from March 2002 through mid-September 2006 for between $4,000 and $5,500.
The CPSC said consumers should stop using the Segway scooters immediately and contact the company to receive a free software upgrade.
Segway Inc. can be reached at 800-750-6557 or at www.segway.com.
