News item | 14-02-2024 | 18:54
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has obliged cargo bike manufacturer Babboe to immediately cease trading in all its cargo bikes. The company must also recall cargo bikes with a serious safety risk. The NVWA reminds the company of its legal obligation after extensive research into frame fractures.
Image: ©ANP
The NVWA started the investigation at the end of 2023 following a signal about several frame fractures of the Babboe cargo bikes. The NVWA research shows that Babboe has received a large number of reports of broken frames in recent years. Babboe did not follow up on these reports as required by law. For example, no investigation was carried out into the causes and no report was made to the NVWA.
Safety of cargo bikes has not been sufficiently demonstrated
The NVWA has instructed Babboe to immediately cease trading in all cargo bikes because they do not comply with the law. The safety of the cargo bikes is not sufficiently guaranteed. The cargo bikes may be sold again when it has been sufficiently demonstrated that they are safe, including by means of complete technical documentation.
Serious safety risks
A risk assessment was made of the different types of Babboe cargo bikes using the data on frame fractures that the NVWA investigated. The frame of various types of cargo bikes can break. This can lead to very serious injuries. For example, if children fall out of the box while cycling. Especially when this happens in heavy traffic.
A recall of the cargo bikes sold has been demanded for cargo bikes where a serious risk has been identified.
In collaboration with the Functional Public Prosecutor’s Office, it will be examined whether there are grounds for a criminal investigation.
Babboe is obliged to carry out a recall for the following types of cargo bikes:
- Babboe City/ City-E/ City Mountain
- Babboe Curve/ Curve-E/ Curve Mountain
- Babboe Big/ Big-E
- Babboe Dog/ Dog-E
- Babboe Max-E
- Babboe Mini-E/ Mini Mountain
- Babboe Pro Trike/ Trike-E/ Trike XL
- Babboe Carve-E/ Carve Mountain
Do you have a cargo bike of this type? The NVWA has demanded a recall based on legal requirements. This applies to all cargo bikes mentioned above, including those that are subject to the 2019 recall and have been modified. Babboe is responsible for the implementation, the NVWA plays no role in this. The NVWA advises consumers to no longer use this Babboe cargo bike.
The NVWA will inform fellow supervisors in other EU member states via the European Safety Gate signaling system.
More information
For questions about this news item, journalists can contact the NVWA press information team, telephone number (088) 22 33 700.
Consumers and companies can contact the Customer Contact Center or 0900-03 88 (usual calling costs).