September 26, 2003
About 6,000 Segway Human Transporters are being recalled for an upgrade. The futuristic scooters can suddenly run out of power, causing riders to fall off.
Segway says it knows of three accidents involved the scooter, including one in which the rider required stitches to close a head wound, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The power problem occurs under certain operating conditions, especially when the batteries are running out. The company said that problems can occur "if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle, or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert."
The Segway carries one person who stands on a small platform between two side-by-side wheels. Leaning slightly forward moves the scooter forward, leaning back makes it reverse course and turns are made by twisting the handle.
The Segway "i Series," or HTi167, and all e167 "e series" models sold to commercial users and p133 "p series" models sold in test markets are all being recalled for the software upgrade. For more information, owners can contact the company at (877) 889-9020.
The scooters sell for about $5,000. transporter, which took over a decade for investor Dean Kamen to develop, enjoyed more than two years of hype before it went on sale at Amazon.com Inc's AMZN.O online store in March for $4,950.
