Thule Announces Voluntary Recall of Hitching Post Pro, Expressway and Trailblazer Hitch-Style Bicycle Racks

SEYMOUR, Conn., July 17 -- 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.

Consumers should stop using these racks immediately and contact Thule at 800-THULE-91 (800-848-5391) between the hours of 9am and 8 pm eastern standard time to obtain a free repair kit. Consumers can also obtain information on this recall online at http://www.thuleracks.com/ .

"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."

  The recall affects only the discontinued models mentioned.

  RECALL FACTS:
  WHAT

Hitching Post Pro (934, 934XT, 935, 935XT, 936, 936XT, 937, 937XT, 951, 951XT), Expressway (995, 995XT, 996, 996XT), and Trailblazer (998, 998XT)

WHY

Thule has determined that a pinch point exists between the bike arm bracket and the upright assembly of the hitch-style bicycle rack. When moving the bike arm bracket to its down position, the pinch point has the potential to cause severe personal injury, including lacerations and/or amputations.

  REMEDY
  Thule will provide a repair kit for all affected models free of charge.

  WHAT TO DO

Consumers should stop using these racks immediately and contact Thule at 800-THULE-91 (800-848-5391) between the hours of 9 am and 8 pm for information on how to obtain a free repair kit.

  MORE INFORMATION
  Thule: 800-THULE-91
  http://www.thuleracks.com/

  About Thule Inc.

Thule Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary within the Thule Group. It is the leading US manufacturer of car rack products, with production sites in Seymour, Connecticut and Chicago, Illinois. Thule's product line features multi-purpose roof racks, roof top boxes, rear mount racks, and accessories for outdoor equipment including bikes, skis, snowboards, kayaks, canoes, and surfboards. For more information visit http://www.thule.com/ .