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Segway recalls scooters

All 23,500 of them need a fix, the company says, after a software glitch is detected that could throw them into reverse.

By DAVE GUSSOW
Published September 15, 2006

A recall is not enough for Dottie Reeder to park her Segway during a political campaign or Tyler Sexton to stop going to class on his.

"It's an extension of my body," said Sexton, 20, a student at the University of South Florida who has cerebral palsy. "It's my legs."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Segway announced the recall of all 23,500 of the scooters Thursday because of a software glitch that could cause the machine to suddenly reverse direction.

Segway has received six reports of problems with the scooter, known as the Personal Transporter, resulting in broken teeth, a broken wrist and facial injuries, including one that required surgery, according to commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.

This recall is the second for the scooters, which sell for $4,000 to $5,500 and which were introduced with plenty of hype in 2002. A battery problem in 2003 could cause riders to fall off.

While the sequence of events that triggers the problem - going full speed typically 12.5 mph, stopping, getting off and back on quickly - has a low probability of occurring, the Bedford, N.H., company contacted the government agency to get the recall effort under way.

The government recommended that people stop riding until the fix is made. But none of that is enough for local riders to give up their Segways.

Reeder, the mayor of Seminole who made headlines for using her scooter during her current campaign for the state House of Representatives, says she may ride the Segway at a walk Saturday, fixed or not.

"I feel very confident in it," Reeder said.

Jack Boone, owner of Segway of Tampa Bay-Clearwater, spent Thursday on the phone talking to his customers.

"I'm able to do the fix on this in 10 minutes," Boone said. "The problem is I have so many customers, I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the fix done."

Boone estimates he has sold about 200 Segways since spring 2004, but others who bought elsewhere and now live here also have been calling. He thinks he can have them all fixed by the middle of next week.

All of Segway's 100 dealers will be able to fix the problem. The company also will pay to ship the scooters for a fix if a dealer is not available.

When he introduced the Segway four years ago, inventor Dean Kamen saw a future in which people would hop on their personal, nonpolluting Segways for short trips and leave their cars parked at home. That vision has yet to become reality.

Information from the Associated Press and Times files was used in this report. Dave Gussow can be reached at dgussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4165. Read his blog at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tech.

[Last modified September 14, 2006, 23:26:39]