Imagine if Ford were forced to recall every vehicle it had ever sold all the way back to the Quadracycle of the 1890s. That's what Segway Inc. is facing with a recall announced that involves all 23,500 Segway Human Transporters that have been sold since March of 2002. The recall involves a software glitch that could cause a Segway to unexpectedly apply reverse torque, essentially backing up, and possibly tossing the rider over the handlebars. You see, this is why we prefer sitting down while traveling. Segway has received six reports of this happening that have resulted in head and wrist injuries, but the fix appears to fast and easy. Any owner can take his or her Segway to a local service provider and get a free software upgrade that purportedly fixes the problem.
[Source: Segway, Inc. via Engadget]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
fizzandpop @ Sep 14th 2006 3:23PM
God just issued a recall of the 23,500 people who purchase Segways. There seems to be a software glitch that makes that particular model of human being unable to recognize the fact that everyone is laughing at them and shouting "Dorkbot!"
Kris @ Sep 14th 2006 3:31PM
I saw an old man crash hard about 4 months ago, He was leaving a sidewalk and kind of caught a grove in the cement. It was a hard crash he look very wirry after that and him and his wife walk the Segways home.
Mike @ Sep 14th 2006 3:33PM
Awwwww, that's a shame!
From an engineering point of view, the Segway is amazing!
From a "...revolution that will tranform the way we travel" point of view, this thing is G-A-Y!
I mean everytime I see an able-bodied person riding one of these things, I just want to knock them off it and tell them to walk! Even more funny is when cops are riding this - like in some US cities. And they wonder why they don't get any respect!!
BOB @ Sep 14th 2006 3:49PM
TRENDY IS AS TRENDY DOES -- LOL
TOO BAD "FLIP" WILSON IS NOT AROUND TO HAVE ONE.
Meanwhile, if the thing does not kill people, it IS good for cops, who can see over crowds better, move faster silently.
Trent @ Sep 14th 2006 3:51PM
"Imagine if Ford were forced to recall every vehicle it had ever sold all the way back to the Quadracycle of the 1890s."
You mean that hasn't happened yet?
fizzandpop @ Sep 14th 2006 3:54PM
Looking at that picture, I think Dubya should stick to riding that bike in the background.
Ford Mustang @ Sep 14th 2006 3:59PM
LOL at #1
I agree that from a technology/engineering point of view these things are awesome but you do look pretty dorky riding this things. Maybe even more so than the tie and suit executives riding razor scooters to work.
Peter Reynolds @ Sep 14th 2006 3:59PM
George bush is such a twit! The Segway wasn't turned on, so he fell off....
Richard Warren @ Sep 14th 2006 5:00PM
I've said it before, recalls happen.
emulous1974 @ Sep 14th 2006 5:09PM
Yeah, but Segway is doing one thing no auto manufacturer would ever do. If owner's are not capable of getting their Segway to one of the 100 dealers, than they will pay to ship it for the software upgrade. I think Segway is handling this mighty well.
rwdmtparkingonly @ Sep 14th 2006 5:33PM
I keep looking for one of these on E-Bay as a toy, but I'm only willing to pay $500. I would probably pay a grand for a new one.
This is obviously not a car replacement, so I'm not sure what the inventor was thinking - Hmm, I'll come up with a way for a country with an obesity problem to burn electric instead of walking.
fizzandpop @ Sep 14th 2006 6:04PM
I've just realized, they only sold 23,500 of these things in four years. Schwinn probably sells 23,000 bikes in a week. Has there ever been a "revolutionary" idea that tanked so badly? I remember when it was called Ginger and we were told that the world would have to redesign all of its cities by the end of the decade. According to the hype back then, they should be well on the way to one billion sold by now. It reminds me of the dot com that had a market cap the size of GM with revenues of about $100K per month. It only dawned on people that this was utter nonsense when they were told that a single 7-11 has revenues of $100K per month.
Mark @ Sep 14th 2006 6:05PM
This recall is a brilliant P R move for Segway. I wouldn't be surprised to see their stock rise in the very near future. I'll be investing some money in this stock which will give a modest return. Just letting everyone know i like to share the wealth! I can see millions of these in the future it's the current answer to the gas crisis.
rwdmtparkingonly @ Sep 14th 2006 6:44PM
Mark, I can't tell if you're a brilliant satirist or on crack. If the later is true then I regret to tell you that the company isn’t publicly traded.
DPC car videos @ Sep 14th 2006 11:23PM
I tries a segway a few weeks back and it was amazing, but scary falling off of it at that height.
JGN @ Sep 15th 2006 1:13AM
I rented some time on a Segway in Long Beach last weekend. If I lived closer to work, I would get one. Yeah, I do happen to care both about the environment and personal finances, so what.
Galley @ Sep 15th 2006 8:49AM
I found this:
"What Engadget failed to mention was that this recall was initiated not by the CPSC but by Segway, and the circumstances of the "glitch" are specific, and virtually impossible when riding responsibly.
In essence, the Segway must be at speed limiter (top speed), then the control shaft must be suddenly pulled back, the rider's foot off and then back on the platform, for the segway to reverse torque.
Again, virtually impossible unless you're doing something silly.
I think those users who have experienced this were doing things which were, lets say, not recommended."
Laura @ Sep 20th 2006 8:19PM
If you've seen the video where Dubya went flying over the handlebars, you can see how this could be extremely hazardous! However, Dubya did great job of actually landing on his feet! I would venture to say most people would not be that lucky.
Connie @ Sep 20th 2006 8:38PM
what's a Segway
Sven @ Sep 20th 2006 8:54PM
I keep thinking it's just too cool a technology not to find a niche SOMEplace. Maybe cops are just the beginning. Next.... firemen.