Heads Up Minnesota + Wisconsin Snowmobilers! Polaris Warns 230,000 Snowmobiles Pose Fire Risk
Northland snowmobilers who own a Polaris sled will want to check the details on the "stop ride/stop sale" order that the company issued Tuesday.
Polaris made their customers and dealers aware of a potential fire hazard involving 230,000 of their snowmobiles. The issue involves degraded fuel in gas tanks, especially after extended storage.
Here are the specific models and details:
Model Year 2021-2023 MATRYX, 2015-2022 AXYS, and select Model Year 2013-2014 Trail Performance (Pro-Ride) snowmobiles may pose a risk of fire due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) inside the fuel tank. Under specific conditions, vapors may be ignited inside the fuel tank, posing a potential injury hazard to consumers.
According to their announcement, Polaris has identified 30 reports of fuel tank ruptures, including 16 incidents of fire and one report of injury thus far.
They urge all consumers to immediately stop using the impacted units as they evaluate "a comprehensive action plan to correct this concern at no cost to consumers". Consumers should not attempt any repairs themselves. If a rider absolutely needs to start their snowmobile, they must make sure the fuel tank is full and, if it is not, then they need to add fresh gasoline to fill the tank.
Polaris added they are also notifying dealers and contacting registered owners of this issue and will also follow through with an action plan to repair the impacted snowmobiles.
Polaris has also reported this matter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who will likely issue a formal recall once all data has been reviewed.
Consumers can search off-road recalls by model or vehicle identification number (VIN) above to see if their unit is affected by any recalls. You can also call Polaris directly at 800-765-2747.