The Ricon Corp., one of the largest manufacturers of wheelchair lifts, was fined $1.75 million on Feb. 6 by the U.S. Department of Transportation for selling lifts that had been recalled for a potential fire risk.

“This company’s failure to protect the public from a product known to be a safety risk is absolutely unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Manufacturers must meet their safety obligations, and when they don’t, we will be there with strong enforcement action.”

In September 2012, Ricon recalled over 4,000 S and K series wheelchair lifts for a defective cable. In June 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began contacting manufacturers who used Ricon wheelchair lifts to make sure they were aware of the recall. Ricon was also contacted by the NHTSA to find out if they had stopped producing the defective lifts, but Ricon didn’t respond.

Ricon informed the NHTSA on Jan. 14, 2014 that it had continued to produce and sell defective wheelchair lifts. The company had sold 356 defective lifts after the recall, and the new lifts were recalled in March 2014.

Under terms of an agreement reached with Department of Transportation, Ricon admits it violated the Safety Act and it will be under the supervision of the NHSTA for the next year.

Sam Cook, president of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, is troubled by the actions of Ricon. “NMEDA has been at the forefront of safety innovations and standards for the mobility industry,” he says. “Our members are concerned over the news about Ricon’s DOT violation.”