The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising the public to “immediately stop using lithium-ion batteries for RAD Power Bikes.” Two batteries manufactured by RAD have unexpectedly caught fire and/or exploded. The batteries in question are model numbers RP-1304 and HL-RP-S1304.
RAD Battery Issues
According to the CPSC, either of the two RAD batteries caused at least 31 fires. They go on to claim that of the reported fires, 12 have caused $734,500 worth of damage. Fortunately, there are no reports of bodily injury due to the batteries.
The CPSC’s statement goes on to say that some of the incidents happened when the bikes were not in use. In fact, several incidents apparently occurred when the battery was not being charged or the bike was in storage.
The two batteries in question are in ten e-bike models:
- RadWagon 4
- RadCity HS 4
- RadRover High Step 5
- RadCity Step Thru 3
- RadRover Step Thru 1
- RadRunner 2
- RadRunner 1
- RadRunner Plus
- RadExpand 5
Individual batteries were either sold on RAD Power Bikes’ website, at Best Buy, or at bike shops.
So, Why No Recall?
According to the CPSC: “The importer, Rad Power Bikes Inc., of Seattle, Washington has refused to agree to an acceptable recall. Given its financial situation, Rad Power Bikes has indicated to CPSC that it is unable to offer replacement batteries or refunds to all consumers.”
Several cycling media outlets have reported on the potential closure of the brand in recent weeks. Like many others in the bike industry, the brand is struggling with swollen inventory numbers post-pandemic. If they can’t secure additional funding by January, it will close its Seattle factory and lay off 64 employees.
These financial issues are making it impossible for the struggling company to conduct any recall. Simply put, issuing a recall will, for sure, put RAD out of business. Therefore, they cannot issue a recall on the batteries.
As a part of the CPSC’s public warning, RAD was able to include a statement:
“Rad’s Safe Shield batteries and semi-integrated batteries are not subject to the agency’s statement. Rad had the batteries re-tested by third-party labs as part of this investigation; the batteries passed these tests again. Nonetheless, in an effort to partner with the CPSC, Rad proposed multiple solutions to the agency in good faith. Rad informed the agency that its demand to replace all batteries, regardless of condition, would immediately put Rad out of business, which would be of no benefit to our riders. Rad is disappointed that it could not reach a resolution that best serves our riders and the industry at large. Rad reminds its customers to inspect batteries before use or charging and immediately stop using batteries that show signs of damage, water ingress, or corrosion, and to contact Rad so we can support our riders.”
If you have one of the bikes or one of the batteries (RP-1304 and HL-RP-S1304), the CPSC urges you to remove the battery and dispose of it immediately. They ask that you don’t throw the battery away or give/sell it to someone else. Instead, dispose of it properly in accordance with local hazardous waste regulations and guidelines.
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