Public statement for the European marketsThule CTS – Product Improvement – Safety Upgrade Bicycle Kits
Calgary, Canada, 27 October 2011
As the manufacturer of Chariot products we continually strive in our efforts to improve and upgrade our products and have, during the last few days, been informing our customers and distributors in Europe of an improvement we are introducing to the safety of certain of our CTS Cycling conversion kits affecting certain Chariot Carriers manufactured between October 2002 and September 2011.This is not a product recall. We are conducting an upgrade of the existing Chariot products.
Chariot, which since June 29 this year is a premium brand within the Thule Group, is committed to the safety of our consumers. All Chariot products are produced in accordance with all safety regulations available at the time of manufacture and go through rigorous internal testing developed by the company with years of experience as the market leader.
In spite of rigorous testing we have identified that there is a possibility that when our carriers are used as a bike trailer, in extremely rare circumstances there could be a failure of certain of the Chariot Hitch Arms or certain versions of the VersaWing 2.0 while in use. In the event of such rare failure there could be a risk of separation of the carrier from the bicycle. Please be advised that this is an extremely unlikely risk and we have not received any reports of injuries.
Offer to upgrade the carrier
As a precaution only, we are recommending that all existing owners of Chariot Cycling Kits that may be affected by this issue, accepts our offer to receive a free retrofit upgrade kit, which consists of a new safety tether strap that the consumer can easily install on their existing carrier. Consumers can easily identify if they have a Chariot Cycling Kit that qualifies for the upgrade if their Hitch Arm has a pushbutton but does not also already have one of the new safety tether straps. To apply for a free retrofit upgrade kit the owner has two options:
a. Fill out the form on line at www.chariot.de and we will send the free upgrade kits (which are easy to install and need only normal hand-tools) and instructions to carry out the upgrade, or
b. The owner should contact the retailer where the Carrier is purchased and they will obtain the necessary parts to upgrade the carrier and hitch arm.
Further information can be found at www.chariot.de.
This is not a product recall
We appreciate there has been information in some media that we are conducting a full product recall. We want to emphasize this is not the case. To mitigate risk for misunderstandings around the terminology we want to clarify the differences between Europe and North America.
In Europe, a recall is understood as a measure that has the aim of achieving the return of products from the hands of consumers. We are not requesting any consumer to return their product. Thule CTS has simply identified an opportunity to improve the safety of its Chariot Cycling conversion kits in relation to the potential safety risk addressed in this statement and consumers of existing carriers are being given the opportunity to take advantage of the same safety upgrade as our new products through our Commercial Offer of Upgrade. Thule CTS is undertaking exactly the same upgrade and consumer offer in North America but, under US rules, we are required to call the upgrade a "recall".
The action we are taking is totally voluntary and is based on the rational that the Thule Group is always putting safety of our consumers as the first and most important priority.
If you have any further questions, please contact:
Fredrik Erlandsson, Senior Vice-President Communications, Thule Group
Phone: +46 70 309 00 21, email: fredrik.erlandsson@thule.com
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