About the Recalled Helmets
The recall covers Retrospec Scout Kids’ Bike Helmets in sizes XS and S only, sold in the following colors and designs: Blippi, Blush, Brash Blue, Chameleon, Cool Mint, Matte Forest Green, Matte Black, Matte Navy, Matte White, Matte Burnt Orange, Matte Green, Matte Royal Blue, and Matte Whisper Pink. Recalled helmets are identified by a green hang tag reading “Retrospec,” the Scout brand name, and the size, with the Retrospec name or “R” logo on the right side of the helmet.
Latest Updates
The CPSC issued Recall No. 24-081 on January 11, 2024, covering roughly 72,000 helmets in the United States — plus 150 units in a concurrent Canadian recall — sold at Scheels, Play It Again Sports, and independent bicycle stores nationwide, as well as online at Retrospec.com and Amazon.com between February 2019 and March 2023 for $18 to $23 [1][2]. No injuries had been reported as of the recall announcement, but the helmets were found to violate federal safety standards for coverage, positional stability, and labeling — deficiencies that mean the helmet may fail to protect a child’s head in a real crash [3].
What the Federal Bicycle Helmet Standard Requires
The CPSC’s federal bicycle helmet regulation establishes mandatory minimum performance requirements for helmets sold in the United States, including coverage (the helmet must protect a defined area of the skull), positional stability (the helmet must stay in place on the head during a crash impact and not shift or come off), and labeling (consumers and emergency responders must be able to identify that the helmet meets federal standards). A helmet that fails any of these requirements cannot be certified as compliant — and a child wearing that helmet in a crash receives less protection than the certification label promises.
Positional stability failures are particularly dangerous because a helmet that shifts on impact — exposing the forehead, temple, or back of the skull — can allow direct contact between the unprotected skull and pavement, a curb, or a vehicle at the moment of maximum impact force. Parents who purchased the Retrospec Scout helmet for their child had no way to know, from looking at the helmet or reading its label, that it had not been validated to stay in position during a crash.
Injuries and Who Was at Risk
No injuries were formally reported to the CPSC prior to the recall announcement. That absence of reported injuries does not mean no child was harmed — a helmet failure in a crash is typically attributed to the crash itself, and many parents and physicians will not connect a child’s head injury to a helmet’s underlying noncompliance with federal standards unless a recall has already been publicized.
Children who rode bikes, scooters, or similar equipment while wearing a recalled Retrospec Scout in XS or S between February 2019 and the recall date of January 2024 — a window of nearly five years — did so with a helmet that the CPSC determined did not meet the minimum legal protection requirements for children’s bicycle helmets.
Can I File a Lawsuit?
If your child was injured in a bike or scooter crash while wearing a recalled Retrospec Scout helmet in XS or S, you may have a product liability claim against Xander Bicycle Corporation for selling a helmet that violated mandatory federal safety standards. Contact a children’s product liability attorney as soon as possible, as state filing deadlines govern how long you have to bring a claim.
How to Get Your Refund
Stop using the recalled helmet immediately and do not allow your child to wear it. To receive a full refund, cut off the helmet’s straps, write your initials and the date near the Retrospec logo on the right side of the helmet, photograph the marked and strapless helmet, and upload the photo at retrospec.com/pages/retrospec-scout-recall. You may also call 888-488-2369 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT, for assistance.
References
1. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2024/Retrospec-Recalls-Kids-Bike-Helmets-Due-to-Risk-of-Head-Injury-Violation-of-the-Federal-Safety-Regulation-for-Bicycle-Helmets
2. https://www.fox13news.com/news/72000-kid-bike-helmets-recalled-injury-risk
3. https://mother.ly/parenting/safety/retrospec-helmet-recall/