WASHINGTON (AP) — A South Carolina company that sells minibikes and go-carts has agreed to pay $4.3 million in a settlement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission — the largest-ever civil penalty levied by the agency.
CPSC alleged that Baja Inc. and its corporate affiliate, One World Technologies Inc., of Anderson, South Carolina, failed to immediately report safety problems with 11 models of minibikes and go-carts.
The vehicles were sold beginning in 2004 and recalled in 2010. CPSC says Baja received reports of fires from leaking gas caps, burn injuries and stuck throttles, but did not immediately report them to CPSC as required by law.
Baja and One World did not acknowledge the charges that the vehicles had a defect or that the company failed to notify CPSC in a timely manner.
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