Ohlins Recalls Bicycles for Faulty Suspension Forks

Swedish bicycle manufacturer Ohlins is recalling nearly 6,000 bicycles for defective suspension forks that can cause the rider to take a fall. According to news reports, the improperly torqued top caps on certain suspension forks can spring loose, abruptly ejecting the air cartridge while riding. Ohlins identified a defect in two of its high-end suspension forks on certain Specialized mountain bikes. The company has issued a voluntary recall through the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Details of the Recall

This issue affects Ohlins RXF 36 Air and RXF 34 Air suspension forks. The top cap on the right side may not be adequately torqued and can work itself loose while riding. This can cause the air cartridge inside the stanchion tube to eject posing fall and injury risks to the rider. To date, CPSC has received four reports of the defect including injuries such as a bruised shoulder and a broken rib.

The recalled forks are black with “ÖHLINS” in gold on each of the fork lowers. They have “RXF36” or “RXF34” printed across the fork arch. RXF36 Coil Forks (with no air valve on the right-side top cap and “TTX” and “Coil” written on the back of the left fork lowers) are not included in this recall.

The CPSC reports about 6,000 forks are part the recall in the U.S. and Canada. Bicycles with the affected forks were sold at authorized Specialized dealers between January 2016 and September 2018. Aftermarket forks impacted by this recall retailed between $1,000 and $1,500 at authorized Specialized dealers and independent retailers, including Jenson USA, Fanatik Bike Co., and Backcountry.com.

Specialized and Ohlins have asked consumers to stop riding and stopped sales of the affected products. They are providing free repairs to consumers and are also offering customers affected by the recall a voucher for the next full service, excluding labor, and an upcoming performance upgrade to the RXF 36. If you believe you’re included in the recall, visit the CPSC recall page for more information, or check out the Specialized and Öhlins incident pages.

If You’ve Been Injured

If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of these defective bicycles, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries and damages by filing a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer, retailer and/or other parties. You may be able to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitative treatment and pain and suffering. An experienced product defect lawyer will be able to advise you regarding your legal rights and options.

Source: https://gearjunkie.com/ohlins-rxf-air-fork-recall-specialized