Electric Scooter Transaxles
for Safety and Reliability
There are critical differences in design. Some Asian made units have brake rods in the gearbox that disengage the gears between the motor brake and the drive axle.
This disengages all braking systems, so the scooter can runaway, with deadly results (see Push-Too-Fast).
Forgiving systems disengage the parking brake so the gears remain connecting the axle and the motor brake.
This allows those units with the Push-Too-Fast controller system feature to limit your speed to a controllable 3 - 4 mph.
Do you want a scooter that moves at 3 - 4 mph in freewheel, or one that can runaway at 30 mph?
Transaxles can break.
If you drop the transaxle on its end, you can bend the axle. On some lesser quality Asian units the same drop will completely fracture the housing.
Transaxles break internally, too.
The unit's bearings can disintegrate, which locks the unit up. If transaxle gears break, which causes loss of all speed control and braking, the result can be death.
(One of the larger scooter companies is currently involved in the second largest scooter recall -- over 10,000 transaxles.)
Here are two of the many MDR reports . . .
MDR Report - Scenario: "Witness's statement on the police report. I was making a right turn from one street onto the other. I finished my turn and I was going up the street when I saw a wheelchair coming down the hill. At this time I saw the wheelchair rocking from side to side. I knew it was going to tip over, so I stopped. As the wheelchair went by us it flipped and the driver was thrown off. I got out of my truck and called the fire department.
“Operator #1 was pronounced dead at the scene at 15:57 hours by a paramedic.”
The "wheelchair" in this report was actually a scooter.
Patient outcome - Death.
MDR Report - Scenario: "The customer stated that he was riding the scooter and heard a whining noise in the drive train. He was moving on a street with a downhill incline and realized that the brake was not working. When he realized that he was not going to be able to stop, the customer stated that he steered the unit into the ditch (curb). As a result of this he suffered bruised and torn ligaments in one knee and was treated by his doctor.
“The drive train was replaced. Upon inspection of the failed unit it was noted that the gears were stripped preventing the brake from functioning.”
Patient outcome - Required medical intervention.
Note that in most reports there is a noticeable increase in the type and volume of noise from the unit prior to failure. Just as with your car, should the noise suddenly change you should stop riding and get the unit checked immediately.
Probably the best way to judge whether to replace transaxles is by warranty . . .
Some are warranted for one year, some are warranted for five years. Replacing a transaxle will easily cost several hundred dollars.
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