Segway Inc. announced Thursday a software glitch in the Personal Transporter that can make its wheels unexpectedly reverse direction, throwing the rider off ? and, in at least one incident, break some teeth.
Segway is recalling all 23,500 of the self-balancing scooters it has shipped.
“We have called all of our customers, and many of them already know because of e-mails and Web postings by Segway,” said Tonia Edwards, owner of Segway of Baltimore, a Segway distributor in Fells Point.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday said consumers should stop using the vehicles immediately.
Segway has received six reports of head and wrist injuries.
Segway is offering its customers, which include more than 150 police departments worldwide, a free software upgrade to fix the problem.
Local clients include the Maryland Transportation Authority for Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to the company Web site.
The upgrades will be done at Segway?s 100 dealerships and service centers around the world, said Segway spokeswoman Carla Vallone.
The Bedford, N.H.,-based company will pay to ship the devices to the appropriate center if need be.
“We have eight techs coming out today to update our products,” Edwards said. “The complete update should be completed by the end of the day.”
Segway of Baltimore has customers with the Johns Hopkins security department and other private consumers, she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
