Settlement proposed in Shimano crankarm recall
Owners of recalled Shimano cranksets would receive an extra two years of warranty coverage, and retailers would be given additional training and tools to assess crankarms for signs of failure under a proposed settlement in US court, reports Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
The settlement between plaintiffs and Shimano North America, which still must be approved by a judge, comes in a class-action lawsuit filed after Shimano recalled more than 700,000 units of certain Hollowtech II crankarms in September 2023 after persistent reports of failure where the two halves of a crankarm are bonded.
Shimano's initial approach to the recall was unusual; instead of simply recalling all potentially affected models, it relied on retailers to assess crankarms for signs of failure. That was widely criticized by customers and retailers. In the class-action suit, a retailer testified that guidance provided by Shimano for that assessment was inadequate. The settlement would provide more resources for retailers, and guarantee replacement of any affected unit. A hearing is set for July 28. [BRAIN]
