Problems with the technology behind self-driving cars and occasional issues with Uber Technologies Inc. drivers are well-known, but in a new twist, faulty technology in e-scooters is now throwing users off their rides.

The story comes from Switzerland, where the Uber and Alphabet Inc.-backed electric scooter startup LimeBike Inc. has been forced to withdraw its service. TechCrunch reported Saturday that Lime was forced to pull its e-scooters from the streets of Basel and Zurich for safety checks after multiple reports of people injuring themselves.

Just how many people were injured by faulty e-scooters is not clear. The report noted that in November a doctor broke his elbow after the speedometer on his vehicle failed, the brakes kicked in and he was thrown into the air. In other cases, one rider dislocated his shoulder after the brakes kicked in, and another claimed cuts and bruises in a similar unexpected incident.

Lime is said to be investigating whether the malfunction is the result of a fault introduced in a recent software update. In a very 21st-century problem, the company believes that the scooters may have inadvertently rebooted during a ride, engaging an anti-theft immobilization system that causes the scooters to immediately lock up.

Via email the company has offered customers free 15-minute ride coupons for their inconvenience, although it didn’t say when the service may be restored.

The news comes as Lime uses its last round of funding, $335 million in July, to expand its service rapidly. E-scooter sharing, along with bike sharing, has become a proxy war for the broader ride-sharing market. The company is also moving into different market segments, launching a car-sharing service in Seattle in November.

Whether the company will remain a standalone startup or be acquired this year is not yet clear. Uber was reported to be in talks acquisition talks with Lime and rival Bird Dec. 2, but nothing more has been heard since.

Photo: shinyasuzuki/Flickr