Ola Electric Addresses Front Fork's Durability Issue, Offers to Give Free Upgrade

In the past few months, several Ola electric scooter riders have gotten severely hurt after their scooters’ front fork broke down while riding.

Ola Electric may have become one of the largest electric scooter makers in India, but the company has time and again gotten involved in controversies. First, users complained about the scooters’ heating issue. Then, users also complained about the scooters’ delivery problems and after-sales services.

Later on, several users on social media platforms claimed that they got severely injured while riding because their scooters’ front fork broke down.

Here are some of the incidents:

Company’s take

Now, the company has finally reacted to the incidents by releasing a press release. In the press release, the company wrote, "At Ola, all components of our scooters including the front fork arm are thoroughly tested under extreme conditions and are engineered with a factor of safety much higher than the typical loads encountered on vehicles."

The release further read, "However, as part of our continuous engineering and design improvement process, we have recently upgraded the front fork design to enhance the durability and strength even further."

The electric maker also added, "To alleviate any concerns that you or any of our community members might have, we are giving an option to our customers to upgrade to the new front fork. For a seamless and hassle free experience, you can book an appointment at your nearest Ola Experience Centre or Service Centre before visiting. This upgrade will be free of cost and the appointment window will open starting 22nd March. We will reach out to you with a detailed process for booking an appointment soon."

Twitter reactions

Reacting to the press release, one user on Twitter wrote, "They dont say it but this is very much a #Recall After over a dozen accidents involving the front fork arm of #S1pro scooters, #olaelectric is asking customers to come & get it upgraded to a new design they quietly introduced a few months ago," whereas another added, "This show your low confidence in the current front fork. If you have validated the current fork in your durability cycle then you should be confident enough. Rather offer a new scooter if the fork buckles."