eMTBer claims “known motor defect” in Turbo Levo caused injury in suit against Specialized

Specialized is the subject a new lawsuit related to its Turbo Levo eMTB. A Washington man, Steve Ruggiero was injured while riding the eMTB. He claims the crash was caused by a “known motor defect” with the Levo drive unit and is suing for damages.

Overrun at issue

The suit, reported by Bicycle Retailer, revolves around motor overrun. Overrun is an intentional part of the Levo (and several other) eMTB systems, designed to allow the motor to keep providing assistance for a set period of time after the rider stops pedalling in order to maintain momentum. This can be useful when trying to clean technical features when climbing. It does require some adaptation. On the new Levo 4, overrun is an adjustable feature that can be set to longer or shorter periods of assistance after a rider stops pedalling.

Ruggiero’s lawsuit suit alleges issues with overrun on Specialized’s Turbo Levo can also cause the motor to provide more assistance than expected in any given support setting at unexpected times. His suit cites several online forums discussing the issue of excessive or unexpected overrun. Some comments date as far back as 2017.

Unexpected acceleration leads to crash

Ruggiero alleges in his suit, filed Oct. 21 in Washington, that an issue with his Turbo Levo’s overrun caused him to crash while riding Alpine Trail in Oakridge, Oregon.

In the suit, Ruggiero claims he was riding a steep descent in “eco” mode when, after decelerating over a long flat section of loose shale, he his a section of loamy dirt. At that point, he claims the rear wheel “spun out, due to the manufacturing flaw.” The unexpected power, he alleges, caused him to lose control and crash.

Ruggiero cites a “J-shaped rut spun into the dirt where the rear wheel had suddenly accelerated and spun” according to the lawsuit.

While an initial visit to a clinic, a couple of days after the crash, revealed no damage, a second visit to a hospital resulted in a diagnosis of seven broken ribs. No other internal injuries were diagnosed. Ruggiero remained in hospital for three days.

Ruggiero has requested a jury trial. He is seeking general and specific damages, punitive damages, and associated legal fees. No specific amounts have yet been claimed.