Recall: 2020-2022 Cake Osa Flex Mopeds Could Have Steering Column Break

As a remedy, the original aluminum steering column will be replaced with a steel one, free of charge.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Dec 8, 2023 at 1:08pm ET

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On November 28, 2023, Cake 0 Emission USA Incorporated issued a safety recall for all 2020 through 2022 Osa Flex Mopeds that have been sold in the US.

The issue relates to the aluminum steering column those bikes came equipped with, which could potentially "become fatigued over time and, in certain cases, can shear when subjected to a hard impact," according to the recall report. This could, in turn, potentially result in a crash for the rider.

According to company records, approximately 154 Osa Flex Mopeds could be involved, which represents 100 percent of the population. The affected bikes were produced between December 16, 2019 and May 29, 2023. The Cake Osa line includes multiple variants, of which the Flex moped is only one.

Cake's reported chronology involves a customer email relating to an incident with a Cake Osa Flex moped after hitting a part of road that was in serious disrepair. Upon investigation, Cake's service and engineering team identified no manufacturing defects in the steering column, but continued to investigate further. At the time it filed this recall, the company said that it had received no reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue in the US.

Notifications to owners were planned to start being sent via first-class mail on November 30, 2023. The recall service will involve replacing the aluminum steering column that shipped with these bikes with a new version that is made of stainless steel instead.

At the time of writing, Cake lists a total of 13 shops that service its bikes and are located in the US. Most of these shops are located on either the West or the East coast, with one additional location in each of the following states: Wyoming, Texas, and Florida.

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Because dealers may not be local to customers, Cake notes in its recall report that it may either send a technician to the customer to perform the repair, or else arrange to ship the recalled bike to an authorized service center. Furthermore, Cake says that it "expects to be able to identify a dealer to perform a repair within 14 days of customer contact," and also "to have a repair scheduled and completed within 30 days of identifying the dealer."

Owners may contact Cake Customer Service at service@ridecake.com. Cake's official number for this recall is OSA FLEX MC0327. Additionally, owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Source: NHTSA