Cargo brand to replace 22,000 bikes in mass recall

Dutch cargo brand Babboe has said it will replace 22,000 bikes as part of a mass product recall. 

Last month, authorities in the Netherlands ordered Babboe to stop selling certain cargo models due to defects and safety concerns. An original recall of two models was issued, understood to affect around 10,000 people, but this has since been extended. 

In a statement, Babboe said: "In total, in all countries where Babboe is sold, approximately 22,000 cargo bikes are being recalled and replaced. 

"All owners of these models will be offered a new (cargo) bike."

The company will initially focus on resolving the problem in the Netherlands and Germany this month, before looking overseas. Last month, Babboe said it was planning a recall in the UK for its City, City E, Mini and Mini E cargo models, but no further details have been released. 

"Our goal is to get everyone back on the road safely," company director Gerard Feenema said in the latest statement. "We understand that this is annoying for our customers, and have therefore done our best to find a suitable solution and compensate them."

In March, it was revealed that Babboe could face the threat of legal action over its recent recalls. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly last month, Quirijn Bongaerts of Dutch law firm Birkway explained that more than 9,300 people had gotten in touch with a view to seeking compensation. 

"The frustrating part for many of these people is that, even if their bicycle is subject to the recall, Babboe says, 'Look, you may be eligible to receive a replacement or repair, but we don’t have a foreseeable time path to effectuate that'," Bongaerts said. 

"We’ve had many complaints of people who had a bicycle with a rusting saddle pillar. Then, because of the rustiness, it broke," the lawyer added. "Some people have suffered broken frames, at the front and the back - both are dangerous.

"We read a couple of stories of people who experienced a technical problem, and then were launched out of their bicycle."

Birkway has set up an English-language complaints portal - cargobikeclaim.com - for those affected by the safety issue and recall. 

The 22,000 bikes Babboe is replacing are understood to represent around a third of the brand's entire fleet.