Specialized Expands Recall of 1st Gen Levo & Kenevo Battery Packs
Specialized last year announced a voluntary recall for first-generation Levo and Kenevo battery packs manufactured between 2017 and 2019. Now, the brand has expanded the recall to include additional battery part numbers and manufacturing dates.
The press release from Specialized is below and is available here.
Dear Specialized rider,
In May 2021 we issued a voluntary recall for a small number of battery packs sold as original equipment on and as aftermarket equipment for use with 1st Generation Turbo Levo and Kenevo electric mountain bikes manufactured between 2017 and 2019. In August 2022 we expanded the scope of this recall to include additional battery part numbers and manufacturing dates. Specialized and retailers will contact riders that may be affected by this recall via email and with a notification on the Turbo Mission Control app.
Please read the instructions below to determine if your battery is affected. If so, reach out to your Authorized Specialized Retailer who will inspect your bike and repair the battery pack at no cost to you, which involves re-gluing the Control Pad to seal it more effectively. If you checked your battery pack as part of the original recall and determined it was not affected, please check it again to confirm whether your battery is now included within the expanded scope. Lithium-ion batteries are a stable and safe way to power our portable electronic devices, including e-bikes. As with all devices, review your bike's user manual for proper care.
It is a privilege to share our passion for bikes with you and we hope to get you back on the trails quickly. Reach out to your retailer or contact Specialized Rider Care if you have any questions.
Thank you for riding Specialized,
Scott Maguire
CEO
In May 2021 we issued a voluntary recall for a small number of battery packs sold as original equipment on and as aftermarket equipment for use with 1st Generation Turbo Levo and Kenevo electric mountain bikes manufactured between 2017 and 2019. In August 2022 we expanded the scope of this recall to include additional battery part numbers and manufacturing dates. Specialized and retailers will contact riders that may be affected by this recall via email and with a notification on the Turbo Mission Control app.
Please read the instructions below to determine if your battery is affected. If so, reach out to your Authorized Specialized Retailer who will inspect your bike and repair the battery pack at no cost to you, which involves re-gluing the Control Pad to seal it more effectively. If you checked your battery pack as part of the original recall and determined it was not affected, please check it again to confirm whether your battery is now included within the expanded scope. Lithium-ion batteries are a stable and safe way to power our portable electronic devices, including e-bikes. As with all devices, review your bike's user manual for proper care.
It is a privilege to share our passion for bikes with you and we hope to get you back on the trails quickly. Reach out to your retailer or contact Specialized Rider Care if you have any questions.
Thank you for riding Specialized,
Scott Maguire
CEO
Specialized writes that for a small number (estimated less than 15%) of battery packs on the first-generation Levo and Kenevo eMTBs, conductive water (such as saltwater or chlorinated water) can bypass the seal around the Control Pad. If it reaches a particular area of the battery pack's circuit board, it may trigger a short-circuit and, in sufficiently charged battery packs, lead to a thermal runaway (uncontrolled self-heating) event and pose a fire or burn risk.
Bikes affected by the recall have the Control Pad located on the side of the a battery. If the Control Pad is located elsewhere, Specialized says, you are not affected by the recall.
Owners of these items should check if they are affected by the recall:
2016 - 2018 Levo FSR
2018 - 2021 Levo HT
2018 - 2019 Kenevo FSR
2016 - 2021 Specialized M1 Battery
Recalled battery packs can be identified using a combination of the manufacture date and part number, both of which are included on a label on a battery pack (though the battery pack needs to be removed to access the label). See the guide below.
Specialized advises anyone with an affected battery pack to reinstall it on their bike and ride in dry conditions until the battery charge level is below 50% but, ideally, above 20% for diagnostic purposes. Do not charge the battery again, and take the bike to an authorized Specialized retailer for repair.
The repair involves re-glueing the seal around the Control Pad to keep water out more effectively.
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Member since Jun 19, 2015
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Don't shoot the messenger, I didn't come up with the name for the app. I wish I did, but I didn't.
If you happen to be the lady in question, I repeat, don't push any of the red buttons. You may ignite a thermal runaway. Which admittedly sounds exciting too. But it is bad and should be avoided. Better to just ride pumptracks.
like why not say - hey yes We are aware some frames have been effected "but not all"(bs) we will Replace your frame when we have more stock again at XXXXX time.
Canyon aus service - cant fault them but Its all the other canyon service places around the world have no idea about bikes i feel like.
absolutely crazy.
But it went downhill really nice, while it worked.
Most commmon issues:
engine failrure.
shock brake
battery ON/OFF problems.
hub Obliteration.
Spez tires are absolutely a piece of -.-.
A battery powered laptop? What could go wrong?
A battery powered phone? What could go wrong?
A battery powered vibrator? What could go wrong?
The only reason specialized wants to make a safer battery is to increase sales and reduce costs. They’re a business so that makes sense. But they’re not out here doing ebike vigilantly work that’s for sure
No one does this kind of thing for no reason. Toyota knew they had brake issues but did't do anything until a family burned to dead.
And you'd have to be insane to be in the battery business and not be looking for better options. More efficient. Safer. More earth friendly. etc.
But saying that... Specialized is at the forefront of this tech for the bike industry and is working with the guys at the forefront everywhere else.
www.theverge.com/2021/3/18/22335988/specialized-redwood-ebike-battery-recycle-straubel-tesla
Batteries failed. ALL of these batteries have had issues over the year. Ever new usage has issues. So for people to assume that bikes wouldn't have some issues is naive. Specialized is not the only company dealing with this kind of stuff.
My main point was that these batteries have a shelf life... at least now you can turn your isht in and get a new battery for free.
If they truly cared about the environment, they wouldn’t produce electric mountain bikes. Period. They do not replace cars, they only increase the footprint of each bicycle during production. It also gives the bicycle a shelf life- great point on your side- and hence equates to a much larger footprint across the bikes lifetime.
I’m all for electric vehicles for commuting, freight, public transportation. But ebikes are just completely unnecessary from an environmental perspective. If you’ve bought into the greenwashing from the mtb industry then That’s a bummer. Fact is, pedaling yourself up the hill is more environmentally responsible if that’s the argument you’re going to take.
It really shouldn't take all that much thought....
Not everyone in the world is on 28-32 pounds carbon bikes. Lots of people on 34-40 pound bikes.
What's worse... a 38 pound POS with bad brakes and crappy suspension or a 44 pound e-bike with modern brakes and suspension?
Brake bumps are brake bumps....
In the last few years getting beat to shit.
Why now? Think about it. People on heavy bikes could never make that climb let alone do multiple laps. Sure enough, e bike Strava dudes eating it up. They are also beating up the wooden ladders on the steeper sections. Multiple laps on 50+ lb bikes DOES damage here. Fact.