What Do You Need to Know about ATV and UTV Recalls

We’ve all heard about recalls, when a company discovers they’ve sold a defective product and have to fix the problem, but how much thought should we give to ATV and UTV recalls and what actions can we take? This post will answer these questions.

What Exactly Are ATV & UTV Recalls?

A recall happens when a company receives reports of injuries or a problem that could lead to an injury resulting from the use of their product. The company must fix the problem at their own expense. Fixing the problem can mean repairing or replacing a part or offering a full refund for the machine (if the problem can’t be addressed any other way).

How Often Do Recalls Happen?

That depends. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has been tracking the number of quad recalls from January 2010 through February 16, 2023 and found that the number of recalls in a year can range from 1 to 24. The number has been in the higher range in recent years. There were already 3 of them before February 16^th in 2023.

Some brands have had more recalls than others. But anyway, this issue impacts a lot of quad enthusiasts.

How Serious Are Recalls?

Recalls are very serious because they involve a safety risk. Fire hazards such as fuel hose leaks, failed firewalls, melting components, and cracks in exhaust pipes are the most common cause of recalls. Problems with the throttle, brakes, and steering are the next most common reasons. Without these components, you can’t control these powerful and fast machines, resulting in a significant safety risk. As stated above, recalls can be initiated because of the potential for an injury or because an injury or death has already occurred. The CFA reported that 1 in 5 recalls during their investigation involved an injury or death.

The Good News About Recalls

Recalls are bad news. There’s no getting around that, but when a recall is announced, the company has to fix the problem. This will make quads impacted by the recall that have been sold and are already being ridden now safe to ride. If you bought a quad and you discover there has been a recall on the model, the issue will be fixed for free or you’ll get a full refund.

What Steps You Need to Take

If your ATV or UTV is registered and the information is up-to-date, the company will attempt to contact you to inform you of the recall. This means you should feel pretty sure that your quad is not impacted by a recall. The registration has to be active, the information has to be correct, and the notification has to not have been lost or missed.

If your quad isn’t registered, you’ll have to periodically check. This is important to do no matter your model, but apparently you need to be more vigilant with certain brands.

You can perform an ATV recall check by visiting the brand’s website. The company will have a recall page on the website that will list all current and past recalls. You can discover which models are impacted by the recalls, and the website should allow you to save some time and search directly by your VIN number. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Consumer Affairs will also have up-to-date information on all recalls.

If you don’t find a recall on your machine, relax and continue to have fun. Do check again every so often to make sure nothing has changed.

If you do find a recall, all you have to do is get your quad to your local dealership ASAP. The manufacturer will foot the bill for repairs or replacements.

You should not continue to ride a machine with a recall. Sacrificing your riding time is not something any of us want, but it’s better than the injuries or accidents that could happen if you continue to use your machine. You’ll be riding again shortly. 

Takeaway

ATV/UTV recalls are a pain. It’d be best for companies to get things right the first time and for recalls to be rarer than they are, but the good news is that the companies are taking responsibility for this serious issue and paying to get you back to riding safely.

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