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Ola Electric has announced that it is offering its existing customers an option to switch to what it calls an upgraded front fork design. This announcement comes in the wake of a number of front suspension breakage issues emerging online, since the S1 Pro was first launched in late 2021.
- Ola maintains that the original design is safe
- Replacements to be done by appointment beginning March 22
The news about the fork replacement comes as part of a rather paradoxical announcement by Ola, which first states that there are no issues with the original design of the front fork, and yet, goes on to say that it has made changes to the design to 'enhance the durability and strength'. Visually, the fork seems to feature an additional bracing member on the bottom section.
Ola says that all S1 and S1 Pro customers have the option to upgrade to the new fork design, and that this will be done free of charge. Replacements will be carried out by appointment, which will begin on March 22.
While recalls are quite common in the automotive industry, Ola has refrained from using the term anywhere in its commmunication, and this move to replace a major component that it continues to deem perfectly safe, is rather unprecedented.
The S1 and S1 Pro use an unconventional single-sided front fork that comes from Ola's supplier Gabriel, which also supplies suspension components to many major Indian OEMs. The entry-level S1 Air, meanwhile, opts for a conventional telescopic fork instead.
The S1 Pro's ride quality was one of the highlights when we compared it against the Ather 450X, TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak.
What do you make of the company's decision to offer a front fork replacement to customers? Tell us in the comments.
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Ashish Singh - 492 days ago
This is height of denial by the company to save its face, and escape legal problems. They know that the old fork design was problematic. Changing a key structural component without calling it a recall!