Babboe launches recall for 10,000 cargo bikes on safety grounds

Bike maker Babboe has launched a recall for four versions of its popular cargo bike, saying the safety of users cannot be guaranteed. Up to 10,000 bikes are subject to the recall which covers the City, City E, Mini and Mini E labels. 

Clients with other types of Babboe should also stop using them pending further information, director Gerard Feenema said in an online video message. The company is also in talks with safety boards in other countries.

Last week the Dutch product safety board NVWA ordered the company to stop all sales and recall eight models after RTL Nieuws highlighted dozens of cases in which the frames had broken, sometimes leading to accidents and injuries.

Feenema said all clients who own the recall models would be given a replacement bike or appropriate alternative as well as compensation for the problems they have experienced.

“We don’t want our clients to be in any danger,” he said. 

On Monday it emerged that more than 6,000 people had reported defects in Babboe cargo bikes to a website set up by a legal firm to handle claims.

Amsterdam-based law firm Birkway said it had received 6,300 responses, including some from France and Germany, after it set up the website bakfietsclaim.nl on Friday.

Some complainants gave details of the problems they had with Babboe bikes, which were not limited to broken frames. One customer said their e-bike’s battery had caught fire while charging, while others who leased bikes from the company continued to receive demands for payment after their vehicle had broken.