Yamaha Rhino Recalls

Our law firm is representing several people who were injured in Yamaha Rhino rollovers. In these cases, the rollovers occurred at low speeds, and arms or legs were crushed during the rollover. Although there have been a number of Yamaha Rhino rollover lawsuits, Yamaha has not issued any Yamaha Rhino recalls on the Yamaha Rhino 660 ATVs or the pre-2008 Yamaha Rhino ATVs. The company has, however, issued a “warning” letter and has offered owners of these vehicles free doors and handhold. Yamaha also issued a Yamaha Rhino side-by-side recall involving about 7,800 Model Year 2008 Yamaha Rhino YXR450 and YXR700 side-by-side vehicles. The 2008-model Yamaha Rhino recall involves brakes that may be defective. According to the 2008-model Yamaha Rhino recall announcement, the brake caliper on the left front wheel could have been made incorrectly, resulting in brake fluid leaking, which could cause a loss of braking and control of the vehicle, posing a serious safety risk to the driver and passenger. Read the full 2008-model recall announcement on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission site.

September 2006 “Warning” Letter – No Yamaha Rhino Recalls of Pre-2008 Models

On September 11, 2006, Yamaha sent a letter to Rhino owners regarding new Yamaha Rhino warning labels. The letter reads in part:

If you are in a situation where the vehicle is tipping over, do not put your arm or leg outside the vehicle to try to stop it. You could be severely injured. You could suffer a crushed hand, arm, leg, or foot, if part of your body is caught underneath the vehicle. You must keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle until it has stopped moving.

To help remind you and other operators or passengers in your Rhino of this important information, Yamaha has prepared new warning labels, one for each side of the enclosure. We recommend you install these labels on your Rhino or have your authorized Yamaha dealer install them for you.

This is not a Yamaha Rhino recall. There have been no Yamaha Rhino recalls voluntarily issued by Yamaha, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does not have the authority to issue a recall. There does not have to be a Yamaha Rhino recall to have a product liability claim against Yamaha.

Yamaha Offer to Install Doors and Additional Passenger Handholds – No Yamaha Rhino Recalls of Pre-2008 Models

Yamaha Motor Corporation is offering Rhino customers doors and additional passenger handholds. The following is an excerpt from Yamaha’s website:

Yamaha has developed new doors and additional passenger handholds for the Rhino. These new features, as shown in the pictures below, are designed to help keep occupants from sticking arms or legs out of the vehicle in response to a side rollover. They may also enhance passenger stability and comfort. Yamaha recommends that Rhino owners have these doors and handholds installed on their Rhino vehicles.

Again, this is not a Yamaha Rhino recall. Although Yamaha has attempted to address faulty design issues on its newer Yamaha Rhino models, the company has not issued any Yamaha Rhino recalls to address the design issues with the older models, including Yamaha Rhino 660 and 450.