Ikea makes global product recall on its award-winning bike

Ikea has issued a worldwide product recall for its Sladda bikes due to a fault in the belt drive that can lead to it snapping, potentially causing the rider to fall off and sustain injury.

The aluminium unisex bikes, available in 26- and 28-inch versions, were launched two years ago amid much fanfare, and with Ikea claiming that the belt drive would be good for 15,000 kilometres of riding.

They were designed in partnership with Oskar Juhlin, Jan Puranen and Kristian Eke of Veryday design studio, and won Best of the Best in its category at the Red Dot design awards.

At the time of their launch, Ikea spokeswoman Annique van der Valk described the Sladda bike as being “like a tablet with apps: there’s the possibility to endlessly add accessories for enhancing the ease of use.”

In a product recall notice published on its UK website last week, with similar communications appearing on its websites in other countries, the company said:

Ikea has been informed and advised by a well-established component supplier to recall all Sladda bicycles, due to safety issues with the drive belt. The drive belt can suddenly snap, which in turn can lead to falls.

For this reason, Ikea is recalling all Sladda bicycles. Ikea has received 11 reports of such incidents, with two minor injuries consisting of bruises and scratches.

Customers that have a Sladda bicycle should stop using it and to return the bike to any Ikea store for a full refund. Accessories specifically designed to fit with Sladda will also be refunded. Proof of purchase/receipt is not required.

For more information, please contact our customer service team on 0203 645 0010.

Ikea apologise for any inconvenience and want to thank all customers for their understanding.

It’s perhaps telling that Ikea’s statement offers owners of Sladda bikes and accessories a full no-questions-asked refund, rather than giving them the option of a new (and non-faulty) belt drive.

One interpretation of that is that this could be terminal for the range.