The Hövding helmet has previously been criticized for battery problems and in May 2022, the Swedish Consumer Agency received a notification of a helmet that had been turned off without warning.
"It didn't give any signal at all, it just died down," says reporter Ricardo Tarrida Thuré.
In Hövding's response to the Swedish Consumer Agency, the company stated that they solved the problem through a software update that took place in July 2022, and that the helmet warns before it is turned off. The case was therefore dismissed by the Swedish Consumer Agency. But Uppdrag granskning can now reveal that Hövding knows of more cases where customers have complained about helmets that have switched off without warning, even after the software update.
"If it suddenly stops working, it's dangerous. Then it does not provide the protection that you expect," says Kristofer Johannesson, Deputy Consumer Ombudsman.
About 35 cases
According to information provided to Uppdrag granskning, there are about 35 cases in 2022 where customers complained to Hövding. In some cases, the helmet should have turned off during cycling.
"They should have notified the Swedish Consumer Agency when they became aware of this problem. This information is new to us. We will have them with us in the ongoing investigation that we have right now, says Kristofer Johannesson, Deputy Consumer Ombudsman.
Chieftain: "Negligible risk"
Hövding writes that it takes note of the call and "will contact the Swedish Consumer Agency to ensure that we act correctly".
The company does not want to participate in any interview but writes to Uppdrag granskning that it is only one bike ride in 10,000 where the helmet turns off without warning, calling it a "negligible risk". They answer that they know of almost 30 cases last year, where customers described how the helmet was turned off without giving a signal, but that after analysis they could not confirm it and thus do not know if the customer's information is correct. In one case, they have established that the customer himself has turned off the helmet, writes Hövding.