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SRAM Issues Official Recall for Select Road Hydraulic Brakes

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SRAM Issues Official Recall for Select Road Hydraulic Brakes

SRAM Issues Official Recall for Select Road Hydraulic Brakes

After beginning the process of corralling affected brake calipers with OEM factories, distributors, and bike companies last week, SRAM has officially announced that there will be a safety recall for select hydraulic road brakes. Affected brakes include both hydraulic rim and disc brakes in the Red 22 and S-700 component lines. So far there haven’t been any reported failures on the road, but the recall is due to an unspecified “performance and safety concern.”

The number of affected brakes is smaller than initially reported and only includes brakes with serial numbers from 36T30993767 to 42T39407156. If you have purchased a brakeset with an implicated serial number, or it was equipped on your bicycle, you are to stop riding the parts and contact your local dealer.

Full press release after the break.

SRAM Issues Official Recall for Select Road Hydraulic Brakes

SRAM Road Hydraulic Brake Recall:
SRAM has identified a technical issue with respect to a narrow production range of its RED 22 and S-700 Road Hydraulic road brakes. This is a performance and safety concern. There are no reported failures in the field.

We began proactive quarantine efforts with factories, bike brands and distributors last week. We have reported this issue to the US CPSC and will be cooperating with the agency to announce a safety recall in the near future. We are also working with European consumer administrations.

The affected serial numbers range from 36T30993767 to 42T39407156. This represents 3,553 brakes produced. Based on our investigative and quarantine efforts with our customers, we expect that there are fewer than 500 brakes worldwide in the affected range that are at Dealers or have been purchased by consumers.

The serial number can be found on the brake caliper (rim or disc) and on the outside of the box containing the product. SRAM will issue another notice when the CPSC approved recall launches.

As always, we appreciate your business, and apologize for the disruption.

 

 

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39 Comments
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Aaron
Aaron
10 years ago

SRAM needs to give up on hydraulic brakes already

akula
akula
10 years ago

I’m shocked! Their mtb brakes are so good. How could this happen???

hermies
hermies
10 years ago

aaron, dont forget the “infallible Shimano” recalled a massive number of cable disc brakes this year from feb 2012 through aug 2013. SRAM hydros here are month and half worth of brakes, not Shimano’s one and half years worth for three models

MaLóL
MaLóL
10 years ago

yes, their mtb brakes are awesome. And mcdonalds food is so healthy…

Micktexas
Micktexas
10 years ago

Maybe it’s time for them to buy someone that knows hydraulic brakes. They seem to be in such a rush to get product to market, that they use the consumer to sort out there design flaws. They are quick to handle their issues, but I don’t trust their brakes to stop anything, except sales.

Bike Mechanic X
Bike Mechanic X
10 years ago

The part that surprises me is the part where someone at sram acknowledged that there was a problem with some of their brakes. This is a complete break from their previous official policy of denial (‘cept for my homeboys in the warrantee department, who know just what is up. You rock guys.)

bin judgin
bin judgin
10 years ago

happily riding multiple sets of avids. putting serious mileage on them on trail and DH bikes.

ask cedric gracia about his shimano brakes 🙂

HydroCX
HydroCX
10 years ago

I cant figure out if I should just be looking at the last 4 digits in that number sequence? If so my rear calipers fall into that category. I will say to all those haters of the Sram Hydro, I absolutely love mine for cyclocross. I brake later in the turns allowing for faster entrance and exit on windy courses. I also have more confidence to bomb down trails knowing I can stop…well except for the recall. 🙂 Besides that, I really do love them and have been very happy all season long.

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
10 years ago

What are the exact issues with the recalled brakes?

Jeb
Jeb
10 years ago

To this day I can’t figure out why people have issues with Avid brakes? I have had 6 sets over the years (currently on 3 sets of XO’s) and never a problem? Brakes are not set and forget, you have to change the fluid and eventually shit wears out and you have to re-build or toss them. I run Shimano drive train on ALL my bikes but prefer the feel of Avid brakes.

Paul
Paul
10 years ago

As if road disc and hydro rim weren’t a big enough pain in my ass to cut install and bleed on a bike build, now I get to do it again! Yay! I wonder what kind of compensation I can get from them to cover my time? I wish this was the auto industry and we got paid for warranty work. Some Dot fluid and a chain here and there isn’t quite enough.

slamman
10 years ago

No surprise here then other than the time its taken for the penny has drop, SRAM Officially the worlds worst brakes! We have come to this conclusion via the fact 99.9% of all brake issues we see in our workshop are…. SRAM! yes some people have a good pair but you are a tiny minority and lucky…. so far.
Plastic parts have never been so expensive!

Dale
Dale
10 years ago

Yikes! Failed brakes are the worst nightmare if you ride fast. They should give an option to swap back for manual and refund the difference.

Boneyard
Boneyard
10 years ago

Shocker!

Joshua Murdock
10 years ago

Sram/Avid should adopt Beastie Boy’s “Sure Shot” as their theme song.

“Because you can’t, you won’t, and you don’t stop!”

eliflap
10 years ago

Formula from Italy is the best choice in braking performance .
Sram with XX brakes in mtb had many issues . Magura with their Marta 2 years ago too. Shimano with XTR 985 boiled the rotors …

come on with italian brakes

Rob
Rob
10 years ago

Chiming in on support for Avid hydro brakes. Have used them for the past 6 years and am running 4 sets currently. Never had any issues with any of the sets I have used. They often go 8 or so months without having to touch them. They are piss easy to bleed, piss easy to set up and work great. Not sure why they are so unpopular…

MaLóL
MaLóL
10 years ago

Shimano are the best disc brakes, and if you don’t know that, you have a clear issue of being miss informed. You can have them with no need for bleeding in years and years.

Sram brakes work? Yes they do, and still, are they much worse than shimano? Yes they are.

These are facts known by 99% of riders. denying it is plain stupid. Formula are very good too, light and powerful. And expensive.

don
don
10 years ago

The monthly bike rumor bash sram brakes thread… now that is surprising… Love the 99% stats.

My 2 cents:

Shimano brakes are better, mineral oil is a much kinder fluid and they are easier to bleed. Shimano brakes are heavy and you don’t have to bleed as often…if at all. After switching to Shimano, I have yet to buy mineral oil. Statististically our Shimano brakes are 100% but duration/# of bikes in the fleet that have Shimano show that stat is a flawed number.

SRAM brakes when they don’t need a bleed work very well and have better modulation. Unfortunately they use Dot 5, which is expensive, nasty and doesn’t store well even if you close the lid super tight and put in a zip lock. In reality more than 99% of the time they work, when you hit the less than 1% it blows…a lot. Statistically speaking we have owned zero SRAM brakes that did not fail or need to be bled on at least an annual basis. If you really take your time, and de-gas the fluid….a lot…and totally nail the bleed…we have found a year of happiness. Since I did it so often I nailed it about 80% of the time, the other 20% I hurried because I would rather ride my bike than bleed brakes.

We ride a lot, probably 99% more than most people. Long term durability stats will come in the future bike rumor SRAM brake bashing threads.

don

chsad
chsad
10 years ago

Nothing a solid rotor or lead fishing weights attached to the caliper won’t fix right………

RideBeerSleep
RideBeerSleep
10 years ago

It will be interesting to see how Sram progresses through this, there is a problem with their brakes and they know it. If they get the brakes fixed more of the problem going forward might be less about the product and more about the perception of the product. It will be interesting to see how they fix both issues.

If you look at what they have done with Rockshox they have completely changed the perception of that brand and built a set of products that are reliable and really good. The new Pike, Sid and Boxxer are great forks and I would ride one over any of Fox’s right now. However, remember the products they were putting out 10 years ago and the perception they had. I knew no one who would ride the 2002 Sid World Cup with its 28mm stations, super flexy crown, and a nice $800 price tag over a middle of line Fox that just rode awesome.

They have the ability to fix the problem and perception of the brand; it would be nice if they would move down that path a little quicker.

Dude
Dude
10 years ago

Shimano has the best brakes in the world…except when they had to warranty my XTR’s…three times…and they still didn’t work

vectorbug
vectorbug
10 years ago

I’d bet that everyone posting here has owned a product with a recall notice at some point. I’d go further to say that most of you/us have claimed to love a product that has been recalled at some point too.

K11
K11
10 years ago

wish shimano would offer mechanical shifters with their new hydro road brakes. My shimano mtb brakes i have owned over the years have been great.

I have been putting off a new disc drop bar set up not because of sram shifting, but because of THEIR BRAKES

i really don’t want my bike to have a battery, even with great Di2 performance.

Stanley
Stanley
10 years ago

SRAM should have better developed their hydraulic brake systems together with MAGURA – they have long term experience in hydraulic rim braking systems and grant a 5y warranty on the system. Randoneurs and commuters swear on the HS 33 since many years!

Onelegbiker
Onelegbiker
10 years ago

Formula and Shimano are equal in terms of power and reliability. Modulation is slightly better on Formulas, but Shimano trounces Formula in value. And most shops prefer to work with mineral oil compare to DOT fluids. Gravity bleed anyone?

Wait, ain’t this about SRAM hydro road brakes?

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

SRAM brakes are no good. Shimano FTW. Formula and Hope are ok. Magura is tolerable. SRAM – no good long time.

wheelguy
wheelguy
10 years ago

I have yet to meet a mechanic who prefers to work with Avid brakes. Still, bit props to SRAM for being the first to market with hydraulic/mechanical for road. I have nothing but praise for my XX1 group, so I’m willing to give SRAM another try if they ever get their act together on the braking side.

gravity
gravity
10 years ago

@wheelguy – Should you really be giving props to SRAM for being first to market with a system that has just been recalled?

I’ve always said, the difference between Shimano and other companies, is that if Shimano spends a few million developing something, and it doesn’t work as intended or expected, Shimano scraps it and goes back to work. If a company like SRAM, big as they may be (or smaller companies like Magura or Hayes), spends a couple million on a new product and it doesn’t work, well then they either take that product to market anyway, or they take a huge financial hit. That’s the advantage of Shimano being a multi-billion dollar corporation.

mellon
mellon
10 years ago

gravity-

Here’s a link to Shimano’s recent disc brake recall:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/shimano-issues-disc-brake-recall

So there goes your theory.

rico
rico
10 years ago

Leave hydro brakes in the woods.

Brian
Brian
10 years ago

Why do we get so worked up over who’s brakes are better? Do we want to prove to the internet that we bought the superior product, made the most informed choice, are drenched in more awsome sauce? As as shop mechanic, each brake has different aspects that make it unique to the rider and those servicing them. It comes down to rider preference. Quit your crying and ride your damn bike!

Dave
Dave
10 years ago

I’m a Shimano man personally but in SRAMS defence it’s only a batch that is being recalled, not all brakes. Every company has this quality control issue from time to time.

PROEDGEBIKER.COM
10 years ago

#FAIL

stephend9
stephend9
10 years ago

Wow, the overall response here in the comments was very surprising. I don’t consider myself a SRAM brake fanboy, but they have been performing well for me for years and I’ve just stuck with them out of familiarity. This recall makes me feel like they are upholding a high standard for their brakes. No one’s perfect, but they caught this before there were any issues. I don’t see what the big fuss is about.

slamman
10 years ago

If SRAM stopped making their products we’d loose a fortune in our workshops, Keep buying SRAM people!

axle
axle
10 years ago

The small shop I wrench has warrantied something like 20 sets of avid elixers in the past couple years, and one shimano. What do you expect from a brake without a reservoir? The old Juicys were much more reliable.

CXisfun
CXisfun
10 years ago

The shop I own has literally warrantied more sets of Avid brakes than we have sold. By far. Actually, SRAM/Avid warranties happen so often I have their dealer service number memorized.

There is no other brand I work with that I can recall their dealer service number off of the top of my head. I think that should probably say something.

sideburnz
sideburnz
10 years ago

Super glad that SRAM notifies bikerumor before their dealers…..

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