CPSC, Kawasaki Motor Corporation Announce Recall of ATVs

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #02511) was formally reported on December 18, 2001. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) of Irvine, Calif. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 790 units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The rear axle on some of these units could have been incorrectly heat-treated. This could allow the rear axle to break, causing a loss of vehicle control and injury. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should stop using these ATVs immediately and contact a local Kawasaki dealer to determine if the vehicle is part of the recall. Purchasers were sent direct mail notification of this recall. — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 1 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 25 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.