A motorsports manufacturer which allegedly failed to report defective minibikes and go-carts recently agreed to pay a $4.3 million civil penalty

Baja Motorsports knowingly failed to report immediately defects and an unreasonable risk of serious injury involving 11 models of minibikes and go-carts said the Consumer Product Safety Commission in charges that were resolved by a settlement reached recently between the two parties.

The defective minibikes and go-carts were sold by Baja Inc., and its corporate affiliate, One World Technologies Inc., of Anderson, S.C. in the United States from 2004 to 2010. During that period of time Baja received several reports that people had been injured, including a child who was severely burned, after the gas cap leaked or detached from the fuel tank. Baja also received reports of stuck throttles. The CPSC charged that the the throttle could stick, due to an improperly positioned fuel line and throttle cable, posing a sudden acceleration hazard. The company didn’t file a full report with the CPSC until June 2010.