September 21, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notice
of Free Replacement of Steel -made Bicycle Rear Child Seats- Expansion of Items Included in the Recall |
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Bridgestone
Cycle Co., Ltd. (president: Keiji Watanabe) will replace free of charge
the following twelve models of steel-made
bicycle rear child seats (including one Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. model) sold
up until now with resin-made rear child seats.
Breakages have occurred in the footrests (where children place their feet
to attain stability) in these models, leading to minor
injuries, and in consideration of the seriousness of this, Bridgestone
will implement the recall in order to ensure that additional
accidents are prevented and to ensure that the safety and peace of mind
of our customers remains our paramount priority.
We hereby extend our deepest apologies to our customers and all people
concerned, and ask for your understanding and cooperation. Further details are provided below. 1.Background We received reports that accidents involving breakages in the footrest portions of steel-made rear child seats had occurred and consequently initiated a recall for free replacements and repair to three models that may have been subject to inaccurate attachment from July 09, 2010. However, accidents were also reported in models that had been accurately assembled, resulting in minor injuries to children, so we expanded the size of the recall to cover all of the following steel-made products so that they could be replaced free of charge with resin-made rear child seas.The following products are affected by the recall. A further nine models, covering 465,331 units, have been added to the original three models, covering 104,192 units, to make a total of twelve models, or 569,523 units. 2. Affected Products
- The Bridgestone logo is displayed on the back of the product and on the cushion. - Details are provided on our website (www.bscycle.co.jp) - The YAMAHA logo is displayed on the back of the Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. model. 3. Implementation (1) The twelve above-listed models will be replaced free of charge with resin-made rear child seats on submission of the original product at the dealer of purchase from September 30 onwards (this includes products that have already been inspected and repaired free of charge.) Free inspections will be carried out between September 22 and September 30. (2) Customers with products not covered by the recall may also have their rear child seats inspected free of charge at the dealer of purchase. We will also institute an in-house investigation for the purpose of establishing measures for improving the safety of rear child seats in the future. 4. Methods of Notifying Customers (1) Notification posted on the Bridgestone website (September 21.) (2) Notification provided in advertisement form in national newspapers (September 22, daily newspapers.) (3) Notification provided in the form of posters in bicycle dealerships (September 22 onwards) Dealership poster claiming [Free Replacement] details. 5. Inquiries < Customers> Bridgestone Cycle Rear Child Seat Free Replacement Customer Call Center Freedial: 0120-22-0355 Opening Hours 09:00 to 17:00 Every day until September 30 (including weekends and national holidays) Monday to Friday from October 01 (excluding weekends, national holidays and company holidays) < Media-Related> Sales and Planning Division: 048-772-5214, PIC: Mr. Mori and Mr. Sato Affected Products Items #1 to #4 are identifying points. Check these four characteristics. 1. Three models affected by the recall of July 09, 2010 2. Nine models affected by the current recall |