In voluntary cooperation with federal authorities, Thule, Inc. of Seymour, Connecticut has issued a recall of a number of its discontinued hitch-style bicycle racks. Thule has determined that a pinch point exists between the bike arm bracket and the upright assembly of the hitch-style bicycle rack.  When the bike arm bracket is moved to its down position, the pinch point has the potential to cause severe personal injury, including lacerations and/or amputations.  Thule is working in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to administer the recall.

The recall includes the Hitching Post Pro (934, 934XT, 935, 935XT, 936, 936XT, 937, 937XT, 951, 951XT), Expressway (995, 995XT, 996, 996XT), and Trailblazer (998, 998XT) models sold between January 2003 and June 2007 at bicycle, sporting goods, and automobile supply stores.  Thule has contacted its dealers and instructed them to immediately stop all sales of the affected models and to remove all inventory from the sales floor.

“During the five years that these racks were on the market they were quite popular, and thus the majority of the units are in the hands of users,” said Fred Clark, president of Thule Inc.  “However, with the repair kit, users will be able to quickly safeguard the pinch point and safely use their racks again.”