Walmart Hover-1 Dynamo Scooters Recalled Following Reports of Brake Failures, Injuries

Federal safety officials have announced a recall for e-scooters sold exclusively by Walmart, due to a risk that the brakes may failing, increasing the risk of crashes and serious injuries.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the Walmart Hover-1 Dynamo Scooter recall on July 25, after receiving at least 22 reports involving the e-scooters brakes failing, resulting in at least 7 injuries, including abrasions, contusions, a dislocated shoulder, fractured teeth, lacerations and strains.

The recall impacts approximately 4,200 Hover-1 Dynamo E-scooters imported by DGL Group Ltd., of Edison, New Jersey, and were sold exclusively online at Walmart from November 2021 until July 2022 for $200.

These two-wheeled recalled scooters are matte black, have a kickstand, and reflective lights at the front and back of the stand board. The Hover-1 logo is visible on the stand board and at the bottom of the stem, with “Hover-1” printed in the middle of the stem.

Only the e-scooters with “WY” as the seventh and eighth letters in their serial number are included in this recall. The serial number can be found on a label on the underside of the scooter.

Consumers are advised to stop using the recalled e-scooters right away. Contact the DGL group (seller of the e-scooter) to receive instructions on how to receive a full refund, consumers will be required to submit photos of the impacted e-scooters.

E-Scooter Safety Concerns

The CPSC released a report in 2022 that warned of the drastic increase in micromobility device injuries linked to the growing popularity e-bike, hoverboard and e-scooters between 2017 and 2021.

The report highlighted several concerns surrounding the safety of e-scooters, hoverboards and other micromobility devices, which are frequently involved in the most severe injuries, since they are often operated without proper safety equipment. The agency also warned of problems linked to the improper manufacturing and handling of the lithium-ion batteries that power the electric vehicles, indicating that there have been thousands of e-scooter and hoverboard fires throughout the U.S. in recent years.

According to the CPSC report, there were an estimated 267,700 emergency department visits due to these devices in 2021, a significant increase from previous years.

E-scooters accounted for 117,600 of these visits, with incidents rising from 7,700 in 2017 to 42,200 in 2021, making e-scooters the leading cause of micromobility-related ER visits.