February
22, 2001
By Us International Co. Ltd. Announces Expanded Recall of Bicycle Forks Installed on Brunswick Mountain Bicycles
By
Us International Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, is recalling about 40,000 Ballistic front
suspension forks installed on certain Brunswick mountain bicycles. The forks on
these bicycles can break apart, causing riders to lose control and fall. By Us
International Co. previously announced the recall of 13,500 of these forks in
May 2000. The firm has since disclosed that more of these forks are defective.
By Us and Brunswick have received 26 reports of forks on these bicycles
breaking resulting in nine riders, including teenagers, suffering serious head
and bodily injuries, abrasions, bruises and chipped teeth.
The recalled forks were installed on Mongoose S-20 and MGX S-20 bicycles, which
are orange, and the Roadmaster Ridge Rider bicycles, which is red. The forks on
these bikes are black with decals that read "BALLISTIC" and
"105" on the sides of the suspension fork legs. Discount department
stores, including Wal-Mart, and toy stores, including Toys R Us, sold the
bicycles with these forks nationwide from June 1998 through June 2000 for
between $125 and $150.
Consumers should immediately stop using these bicycles and call Brunswick
Bicycles to determine if the fork on their bike is part of the recall. Consumers
should have the serial number of the forks available. The serial number is
located on the inside of the suspension fork leg. Consumers with recalled forks
will receive a free replacement fork and free installation. For more
information, call Brunswick toll-free at (877) 211-3525 between 8 a.m. and 5
p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit their web site at www.mongoose.com.
The recalled bikes have the following serial numbers.
98022001 through 98030000
98031051 through 98033050
BA10021201 through BA10029200
BA10044001 through BA10049000
BA10050001 through BA10051000
BA10052001 through BA10053000
BA10054001 through BA10058000
BA10059251 through BA10067750
BA10067791 through BA10069390
BA10069703 through BA10077102
BAX0001251 through BAX0006750
BAX0006781 through BAX0007080