Lime Scooter Recall Lawsuit | 2026 Latest Updates

A lawsuit filed on August 18, 2020 in a San Francisco court alleges that Lime rental scooters were defective or not properly maintained. The complaint names Neutron Holdings, which does business as Lime, and Segway Inc., the alleged maker. The complaint lists 46 riders who say they were hurt on those scooters. They allege severe injuries, including fractures and concussions, some of which needed surgery. The complaint and the news reports read mention no ruling on these allegations. The plaintiffs sued together in a single case. Separately, news outlets reported that Lime pulled some scooters in 2018 over fire and breakage concerns in its fleet.

Latest Lime Scooter Lawsuit Updates

August 21, 2020: Washington Post Reports on the Lime Suit

The Washington Post reported that the Lime lawsuit was filed that week in a San Francisco court. It said the suit was brought for 46 people hurt riding the scooters in cities across the country [1]. The Post said this suit and a separate suit against another scooter company both allege the scooters “contain manufacturing and/or design defects and do not include adequate warnings and use instructions.”

August 18, 2020: Riders File Complaint Against Lime and Segway

Danny Aguilar and other riders filed a complaint against Neutron Holdings, Inc., which does business as Lime, Segway Inc. and Does 1 through 50. The filing is in a San Francisco court, Case No. CGC-20-586037 [2]. The plaintiffs allege defective or poorly maintained scooter brakes, throttles, wheels and handlebars. The complaint also lists injuries caused by geofencing. These are allegations, not findings.

November 12, 2018: Lime Confirms It Is Decommissioning Okai Scooters

Lime confirmed to Business Insider that it was decommissioning all Okai scooters in its global fleet. The step followed reports that some Okai models were breaking in half “when subjected to repeated abuse,” Business Insider wrote [3]. Lime called the move a precaution. Okai’s lawyer said the scooters in the Washington Post report were not made by Okai. That statement comes from the lawyer and is not a finding.

November 10, 2018: Lime Says It Will Decommission Okai Scooters

The Washington Post reported that Lime said it would decommission all Okai scooters in use across its fleets [4]. Lime said it was looking into reports that scooters made by Okai may break. It said it was working cooperatively with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the relevant authorities internationally to get to the bottom of this. These are company statements, not agency findings.

October 31, 2018: Lime Pulls Segway-Made Ninebot Scooters

Business Insider reported that Lime pulled about 2,000 Segway-made Ninebot scooters after reports that some were catching fire. Lime said it was investigating unconfirmed incidents in at least three cities. Lime said it had removed the scooters from its operations. The Washington Post’s November 10, 2018 report says Segway pushed back on Lime’s claim that a manufacturing defect made them vulnerable to fire.

Who May Be Affected?

The complaint describes riders who rented a Lime electric scooter and were thrown or crashed. They allege that the brakes locked or failed, a throttle stuck, or a wheel stopped, turned or came off. Others allege the handlebars loosened or detached. In one geofencing example, a rider says her scooter slowed and then sped up, so a second scooter hit her. The complaint groups its plaintiffs by their own alleged defect. Of them, 11 list brakes, 8 list throttles and 14 list wheels. Another 3 cite geofencing, 4 cite handlebars and 6 are not categorized. The rides took place from April 9, 2018 to December 21, 2019. They happened in California and in other places including Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Washington state, Texas, Indiana, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Only an individual legal review by Schmidt & Clark can say whether your own ride, your injury and your records may qualify for a claim.

Reported Injuries or Damages

The complaint alleges fractures, many needing surgery with hardware, in the wrist, forearm, elbow, kneecap, leg and ankle. It also alleges a ruptured patellar tendon and a torn set of leg ligaments. Other alleged injuries include brain bleeds, a skull fracture and concussions. The complaint also lists neck and facial fractures, and broken and cracked teeth. One plaintiff says a tooth needed an implant, and another says a cut needed 35 stitches. These are the plaintiffs’ allegations, not court findings and not regulator data. UCSF researchers published a 2020 JAMA Surgery study of the CPSC’s NEISS injury data for 2014 to 2018. They estimated a weighted total of 39,113 e-scooter injuries in the United States [5]. The most common injuries were fractures (27%), contusions and abrasions (23%), and lacerations (14%). For claims over other brands, read about e-scooter injury lawsuits.

Recall and Regulatory Background

Lime said newer scooters are replacing the decommissioned Okai ones and that it did not expect real service disruptions, according to the Washington Post. A company decommission does not establish liability.

Evidence to Preserve

These records may help show what happened on the ride and what followed:

• Ride receipts and the app ride history for the day you were hurt.
• The scooter’s ID code, since Lime scooters carry identification codes, if you noted it.
• Photographs of the scooter, the scene and your injuries, taken as soon as you can.
• Medical records and bills for every visit and treatment that followed the crash.
• The names of any witnesses, and any way to reach them, written down.
• Messages with Lime or its support team about the scooter or your injury.
• The phone that holds the Lime app, kept safe with its ride history intact.

Filing Deadlines

Injury claims are subject to filing deadlines that come from state law. Which deadline applies depends on where the rider lives and when the injury happened. A claim filed too late may be barred, however strong the facts are. A lawyer can check the time limit for your own claim, so ask early.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Sue Lime for a Scooter Injury?

Riders have sued Lime over scooter injuries, and their complaint demands a jury trial. Whether your own claim can work depends on your facts and on an individual legal review.

Who Is Liable for Injuries Caused by Defective Lime Scooters?

Liability for injuries caused by defective Lime scooters is only alleged in the complaint. It says the scooters were defective or not properly maintained and that Segway made them. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the suit also claims workers who charge scooters go unpaid if they report problems.

What Did Lime Say About the Lawsuit?

What Lime said about the lawsuit is that the safety of its riders is its highest priority and that it takes seriously any claims of injuries on its products. A Lime spokesperson said the company had received the claims and is reviewing them.

Did Lime Recall Its Scooters?

Lime scooters have no recall listed by the CPSC as of September 29, 2026. Its database returned nothing for the title Lime Scooter, and its 16 recalls with scooter in the title since January 1, 2018 name other companies, including Segway, Apollo, Razor and Walmart.

Is There a Lime Scooter MDL or Class Action?

There is no Lime scooter MDL in the pending-MDL report dated September 1, 2026, which lists 166 MDLs. The Post reports a class action filed in California state court in fall 2018 against Bird, Lime and other companies, alleging gross negligence.

What Does the Research Say About E-Scooter Injuries?

The research on e-scooter injuries cited above is the UCSF JAMA Surgery study, which found that in 2018, 32% of them involved the head. It does not separate rented scooters from owned ones, so it cannot show what caused any Lime injury.

References

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/lime-and-bird-sued-over-alleged-scooter-safety-failures-and-injuries-to-dozens/2020/08/21/15f960d6-e24a-11ea-b69b-64f7b0477ed4_story.html
2. https://www.docketalarm.com/cases/California_State_San_Francisco_County_Superior_Court/CGC-20-586037/DANNY_AGUILAR_ET_AL_VS._NEUTRON_HOLDINGS_INC._ET_AL/07339896/
3. https://www.businessinsider.com/lime-issues-second-scooter-recall-less-than-a-month-2018-11
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/11/10/electric-scooter-giant-lime-launches-global-recall-one-its-models-amid-fears-scooters-can-break-apart/
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6990814/