Recall: Kawasaki Motor Corporation Recall of ATVs

December 31, 2001 Alert #02-515

CPSC, Kawasaki Motor Corporation Announce Recall of ATVs

PRODUCT: ATVs - Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) of Irvine Calif., is voluntarily recalling about 360 model year 2002 All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). The Kawasaki "Bayou 200, 300, 300 (4x4) " is a four-wheel ATV with a manual transmission. The recalled ATVs are model numbers KLF220A- 15, KLF300-B15, and KLF300-C14. They have "Kawasaki" and "Bayou" written on both sides of the bodywork, roughly inboard of the operators knee location. Kawasaki dealers sold these ATVs nationwide in November 2001 for between $3,000 and $5,000.

PROBLEM: The rear wheel hubs, in the case of the KLF220 and KLF300-B, and the front and rear wheel hubs of the KLF300-C, are held to their respective axles by a castellated nut that is secured to the axle with a specified torque, then locked in place by a cotter pin. On a limited number of the affected models, the axle nut was not tightened to the proper torque before the cotter pin was inserted. The cotter pin or axle nut failure could cause the hub to come off of the axle shaft creating the potential for an incident resulting in injury or death to the rider.

INCIDENTS/INJURIES: None reported.

WHAT TO DO:Consumers should contact their Kawasaki dealer to schedule an appointment. The dealer will apply the correct torque to the axle nut. For more information, contact Kawasaki toll-free, at (866) 802- 9381 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. PT Monday through Friday. Kawasaki Motor Corporation has notified consumers directly about this recall.