Babboe: Cargo bike manufacturer wants to replace a total of 22,000 cargo bikes

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Historical recall

: The frames of numerous Babboe cargo bike models are considered a safety risk. According to experts, the extent of the recall has so far exceeded all known dimensions.

Photo: Wolfgang Maria Weber / IMAGO

The Dutch cargo bike manufacturer Babboe is heading towards the home stretch with its exchange and recall program. The subsidiary of the bicycle company Accell will recall a total of around 22,000 cargo bikes and offer customers a new bike for them. The affected bikes will initially be picked up directly from customers in the Netherlands and Germany from mid-April. The recall will then be expanded to all other countries, a spokeswoman told manager magazin.

Since the parent company regulates the exchange program individually with the respective regulatory authorities, the models affected by the recall may differ in the countries. Babboe has already recalled the City, City-E, Mini and Mini-E models in Germany. Since Tuesday, the “City Mountain” model (produced before 2020) has also been on the recall list because the “safety of the bike cannot be guaranteed,” as manager magazin already reported.

Recall expanded again in Germany

According to reports, customers in this country will also be able to exchange the Pro Trike model for a new cargo bike or a higher-quality conventional e-bike. Babboe wants to give recall details for the German market this Friday. In the Netherlands, two other models are affected by the recall.

All customers who own one of the affected models that is five years old or younger are entitled to a new cargo bike from the manufacturer after picking up their current cargo bike. The company also wants to offer consumers a higher-quality cargo bike from its own range at no extra charge. Alternatively, you can also choose an e-bike.

Babboe delivers its cargo bikes to 30 different countries worldwide, with the Netherlands and Germany as core markets. Babboe's parent company Accell believes that with the 22,000 wheels to be replaced it will be able to bring the recall to an end in all countries. “As of now, the investigation has been completed,” confirms the spokeswoman.

Many models should be put back on the road after inspection

Babboe offers customers of all remaining models a free inspection in a specialist workshop. The companies would be provided with a corresponding checklist this week. The bikes should then be able to be ridden on the road again without any worries. However, Babboe asks customers to be patient: Carrying out the recall and tens of thousands of inspections will “take a lot of time”.

The spokeswoman explains that it is not yet possible to estimate what the thousand-fold recall and replacement of the wheels as well as the inspections will cost Accell. According to a report by Financieele Dagblad, costs of up to 150 million euros could arise in the central markets of Babboe alone. The spokeswoman did not want to comment on this figure.

Legally, the matter is not yet settled for Babboe anyway. The Dutch Consumer Goods Safety Authority (NVWA), together with the public prosecutor's office, has launched a criminal investigation against Babboe. The company is said to have deceived the Dutch authorities for years about how big the problem and safety risk of defective cargo bike frames really was.

The investigators are apparently also relying on new incriminating material. Numerous photos, documents and audio recordings available to the broadcaster “RTL Nieuws” could substantiate the allegations. In the audio recordings, employees are said to report, among other things, how they “dragged away” defective frames before the officers arrived and “in containers or buses.” According to information from manager magazin, a renowned law firm in the Netherlands represents the interests of 12,000 injured Babboe customers. Here too, the company could still face claims.