Mario Kart Ride-On Racer Cars Recalled Due To Jamming Accelarator Pedals

thegamer.com:

Throwing banana peels at your rivals and driving down a rainbow with Donkey Kong in your rearview mirror, you might not think Mario Kart is the type of game that really lends itself to products that make its experience a reality. While you can't drive up a rainbow using it, you can own your very own Mario Kart via Jakks Ride-On Racer Cars. You might want to give your kart a once over if you own one though as 17,500 of them have been recalled due to an issue with the accelerator pedal.

Reported by IGN, the United States Consumer Product and Safety Commission revealed last week that debris can clog the accelerator pedal. That means the pedal reacts as if it is being pressed even when it's not. Even though the kart's top speed is only eight miles per hour, since they are designed for small children, the ride-on cars continuing to move when the pedal isn't being pressed certainly isn't ideal, and the problem has led to at least one injury.

The safety commission revealed it has received 65 reports of the kart's accelerator becoming jammed. Of those 65, 15 resulted in the car colliding with permanent structures. Of those 15, one child suffered a minor injury, chafing their hand. Even though the karts have been recalled as a result, if you own one, that doesn't necessarily mean having to box it up to return it to the retailer you bought it from, or even worse, send it back to Jakks for repairs.

If you own one of these karts, and you bought it from Amazon, Walmart, or Target between October 2022 and January 2024, you can contact Jakks who will send you a repair kit that should prevent its accelerator from getting jammed by debris. The kit is completely free and includes a replacement pedal with instructions detailing how to install it. Not ideal, but better than having to return the kart, and definitely preferable to a child driving the kart when the pedal jams and potentially getting hurt as a result.

Priced at $400, although you might find them hard to find at