The Consumer Product Safety Commission has fined Brunswick Corp. $1 million stemming from allegations that the maker of Mongoose and Roadmaster bicycles didn't report knowledge of 31 serious incidents involving defective forks on the bikes in a timely manner.
The company conducted three recalls in cooperation with the commission, but the safety agency charged that Brunswick was not fast enough in reporting it had learned of the other incidents involving defective forks on certain bikes.
The forks broke apart during normal bicycle use and caused riders to lose control and fall face first, the commission said. Brunswick, which had 2002 revenue of $3.71 billion, recalled the bicycles three times between May 2000 and April 2002.
The company recalled 103,000 of the bikes in that period.
The CPSC said Brunswick denied that it knowingly violated the commission's rules. A company representative wasn't immediately available for comment.
