If you've been hurt, the law is on your side. Use it.
ElectricBikes.com is an advocate first and a publication second. We've spent years working with attorneys, fire investigators, regulators, and brand engineers on the human cost of this industry. When a rider is injured, when a battery burns down a home, or when a recalled product fails — we know who to call. And so should you.
Free · Confidential · Contingency-only · No win, no fee
Why this page exists
We're advocates with legal knowledge — and the network to back it up.
The electric-bike industry has scaled faster than the legal and regulatory system around it. UL certification became a real standard only in 2020. Most cities still don't have clear e-bike traffic codes. Insurance carriers don't know how to underwrite the category. Marketplaces ship counterfeit batteries with no meaningful liability exposure.
That gap costs riders. We've seen families lose homes to a $300 aftermarket battery pack. We've seen Class-3 riders T-boned in marked bike lanes told they had "no case" by general-practice firms that didn't understand the vehicle codes. We've seen recalled bikes still being ridden because the brand never reached the owner.
So we built a referral network of attorneys who actually specialize in e-bike injury, product liability, and lithium-battery fire litigation — and we routed it through a single front door: EBikeSafety.com.
Case types
Six categories of e-bike legal claim — and the firms who actually litigate them.
Battery fires & burn injuries
Lithium-ion thermal runaway events in homes, garages, and apartment buildings — including FDNY-investigated cases linked to counterfeit packs and aftermarket chargers. Damages: medical, property, displacement, wrongful-death.
Read the in-depth guide
Collisions with motor vehicles
Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bike riders struck by cars in marked bike lanes, intersections, and shared roadways. Comparative-fault analysis under state vehicle codes; helmet-defense and assumed-risk defenses commonly raised by insurers.
Read the in-depth guide
Defective product / failure-to-warn
Brake failure, frame fracture, throttle stuck-on events, controller short-circuit, and inadequate user warnings about charging hazards. Strict products liability against manufacturer, importer, and retailer in the chain of distribution.
Read the in-depth guide
Counterfeit & aftermarket battery cases
Packs sold on Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, and direct-from-China marketplaces that fail UL 2271/2849. Joint-and-several liability theories against the marketplace, the listing seller, and the certification chain.
Read the in-depth guide
Trail & shared-path accidents
Rider-vs-rider, rider-vs-pedestrian, and single-vehicle e-bike crashes on multi-use paths. Class-3 speed and throttle-assist often determinative; municipal trail-rule violations relevant to fault.
Read the in-depth guide
Minor-rider injury cases
Children and teens injured on Class 2/3 e-bikes — often where the bike was sold or operated in violation of state age laws. Parental, dealer, and retailer liability vectors all in play.
Read the in-depth guide
Lithium-ion battery fires
A category fire problem the industry is still catching up to.
Lithium-ion thermal runaway in e-bike packs has become the leading cause of fire-related death in several major US cities. The FDNY traced 18 deaths since 2021 to e-bike and e-scooter battery fires; the great majority involved counterfeit, aftermarket, or improperly charged packs. New York City's Local Law 39 of 2026 now bars the sale of any uncertified e-bike or battery within the five boroughs — a model other cities are watching closely.
Fire cases raise unusual evidentiary challenges: the battery is often destroyed, the seller may be offshore, and the marketplace will argue Section 230 or merchant-of-record defenses. These cases require attorneys who understand cell chemistry, the certification chain, and the marketplace liability landscape.
New York City (5 boroughs)
268 lithium-ion battery fires in 2023 (FDNY), 18 deaths since 2021 attributed to e-bike/scooter packs.
See state e-bike laws
San Francisco
84 confirmed e-mobility battery fire incidents from 2022-2024 (SFFD).
See state e-bike laws
Los Angeles County
120+ residential lithium-battery fire incidents (LAFD), majority involving aftermarket or unbranded packs.
See state e-bike laws
Chicago
Rising trend tracked by CFD; building-code amendments under review for charging in common areas.
See state e-bike laws
Boston
BFD has issued multiple bulletins on apartment-building battery storage; cases pending in Suffolk County.
See state e-bike laws
Had a battery fire? Time matters.
Insurance subrogation, fire-marshal evidence preservation, and offshore-seller jurisdiction all have hard clocks. Reach out the same day if possible.
Accident & collision cases
E-bike collision law is not regular bicycle law.
The legal status of e-bikes varies meaningfully by state — and often by city within a state. California, New York, Florida, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona each treat Class 3 differently. Helmet laws, age restrictions, bike-lane rights, and motor-vehicle code applicability are inconsistent. Insurance defense lawyers know these gaps and will aggressively litigate "vehicle classification" as a fault-shifting strategy.
A specialist e-bike accident attorney will know the local code, the typical insurer playbooks, the comparative-fault arithmetic in your jurisdiction, and the expert witnesses (accident reconstructionists, motor-power engineers, traffic engineers) who actually testify in this space.
61%
of e-bike collisions involve a motor vehicle
3.2×
average injury severity vs. acoustic bicycle
$84K
median e-bike collision settlement (NHTSA est.)
2 yrs
typical statute of limitations (varies by state)
Hit by a car? Don't talk to their insurer first.
Initial settlement offers from auto insurers in e-bike cases routinely undervalue the claim by 5-10×. Get an attorney on the phone before you sign anything.
Free accident consultation at EBikeSafety.comRecalls & defective products
If your bike was recalled, you have rights even if nothing has happened yet.
CPSC recalls are widely under-enforced in the e-bike category. Brands routinely fail to reach more than 20-30% of affected owners. If you are riding a recalled bike, you are entitled at minimum to a free repair, free replacement, or full refund — and if you've been injured by the recalled defect, you have a strong products-liability case regardless of any post-purchase disclaimer.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of e-bike recalls our network is actively tracking. Even if your bike isn't on this list, check the CPSC database by serial number — and contact us if anything matches.
Multiple white-label / DTC battery packs
CPSC Level 2 recall covering aftermarket lithium-ion packs from a single Shenzhen contract manufacturer. 18 confirmed fires; 5 with significant property damage.
Trek Powerfly / Rail (battery)
Voluntary recall of specific battery production lots over thermal runaway risk. Free battery replacement at authorized dealers.
VanMoof S3 / X3
Brake handle assembly failure under high-effort braking. CPSC-coordinated recall during the company's pre-bankruptcy period.
Pure Cycles Volta
Front fork crown can crack and separate, posing fall and crash hazard. Free fork replacement program.
Specialized Turbo Levo / Kenevo (older)
Crank arms can break under load. Free replacement crank arms. CPSC notice 21-187.
Aventon Pace 350/500 (limited run)
Battery latching mechanism could disengage during ride. Voluntary recall + retrofit kit.
If it just happened to you
Seven things to do in the first 24 hours.
Order matters. Most of what determines the value of your claim is decided in the first day — long before you have an attorney. Bookmark this.
- 1
Get safe. If there is fire, smoke, or a damaged battery, evacuate and call 911. Lithium fires can reignite for hours — do not return inside.
- 2
Get medical attention. Even minor symptoms can mask serious injuries (concussion, internal bleeding, smoke inhalation, electrical burns).
- 3
Preserve the bike, the battery, the charger, and the packaging. Do not throw anything away. Photograph everything — frame, serial numbers, packaging, the scene, your injuries.
- 4
Capture the digital trail. Save the order confirmation, the Amazon/eBay listing, the seller's contact info, the shipping label, any text-message or chat exchanges with the seller or brand.
- 5
Do NOT talk to the manufacturer's insurer, the marketplace's risk team, or any opposing party's representative before you have counsel. Anything you say is recorded.
- 6
Report the incident. File with CPSC at SaferProducts.gov, with your local fire marshal, and (if it was a charger or aftermarket pack) with UL.
- 7
Get a free consultation with a vetted e-bike injury attorney through EBikeSafety.com — typically free, contingency-only (you pay nothing unless they recover).
Time-sensitive
Most states cap personal-injury and product-liability claims at 2-4 years. Insurance subrogation and offshore-seller cases can have much shorter effective windows. The longer you wait, the harder the case.
Start at EBikeSafety.comBrand councils & advocacy bodies
The organizations writing the rules — and the ones holding the industry to them.
Whether you're a rider, a dealer, or a brand, these are the bodies that matter when it comes to e-bike safety, certification, regulation, and post-incident accountability. We partner with several; many are sources for our reporting.
PeopleForBikes
National industry advocacy
Visit
League of American Bicyclists
Rider advocacy & education
Visit
Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA)
Industry standards & policy
Visit
Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA)
Standards & technician certification
Visit
Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE)
Road-safety advocacy
Visit
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Federal regulator & recall authority
Visit
UL Standards
UL 2849 / UL 2271 certification body
Visit
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Federal accident investigation
Visit
Frequently asked
What riders ask us most.
Does it cost anything to talk to an attorney?
No. EBikeSafety.com referrals are free consultations with attorneys who work on contingency — they only get paid if you recover.
Is ElectricBikes.com a law firm?
No. We are independent journalists and advocates. We refer riders to vetted attorneys who specialize in e-bike injury and product liability. We do not provide legal advice.
I rode a recalled bike but wasn't hurt. Do I still have a claim?
You're entitled to the recall remedy — repair, replacement, or refund. If you've experienced any harm or close calls, talk to an attorney about whether a separate claim is warranted.
Is my case big enough?
Most e-bike injury attorneys take cases of any size at no upfront cost. If they don't think it's viable, they'll tell you in the free consultation. There's no downside to asking.
What if the seller was on Amazon or eBay?
Marketplace cases are legally complex but absolutely actionable — recent appellate decisions have meaningfully expanded marketplace liability for defective products. You need an attorney who specifically handles these cases.
What if I was partially at fault?
Most states allow recovery even when you share fault, with damages reduced by your percentage. The legal label is comparative negligence. Don't assume you have no case.
Contact us
If something happened, reach out.
All legal intake, consultations, and case referrals are handled through our partner site, EBikeSafety.com. Free, confidential, and answered around the clock.
EBikeSafety.com
Free case intake form
help@ebikesafety.com
Email — 24hr response
24/7 emergency line
For fires & active injuries
Not legal advice. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.