Trio Of Safety Bulletins Issued For Slingshot TJ Hinton

Filed under:

• Polaris
• 2016
• Polaris Slingshot
• Recalls
• safety
• 2015

Posted on 10.31.2016 15:48 by TJ Hinton  

The old saying that “trouble comes in threes” seems to hold true for North American Slingshot owners as Polaris Industries releases three safety bulletins that have resulted in a recall in Canada with the same probably on the horizon for U.S. Slingshot SL and SLR owners. When it comes to safety-related problems, I view the Slingshot the same way I view motorcycles ; every problem is a safety-related problem. Even if you don’t share my pessimistic views on the subject, I think you’ll have to agree that all three of these rate as mildly alarming at the very least. The following recall numbers are for Canada, but we can probably expect similar numbers here in the States.

Continue reading for more information on the Slingshot bulletins.

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What Are The Problems?

First up is a most-important structural component with a workmanship defect; the swingarm. According to the factory, 1,372 of 2015 and 2016 swingarms are not necessarily of the highest quality and could fail catastrophically if subjected to heavy shock and/or extreme loads with predictable results. The recall campaign involves replacing the swingarm with a known-good component.

Brake problems are never fun, especially when said problems arise right when you need your binders the most. Some 2016 models can suffer from a seal failure at the pressure switch due to excessive torque. Once damaged, the leaky seal can bleed down the system and diminish brake capacity an pedal height. A total of 356 Slingshots are affected, and certified dealerships will check the part and retorque/replace as necessary.

As un-fun as all that sounds, it pales in comparison to the primal fear invoked at the mere thought of a fire hazard. What we have here is a good old-fashioned hose-routing problem. There’s a fuel hose that can contact the “hood structure” and rub a hole in itself from the engine vibration. Naturally, the resultant fuel leak presents an immediate fire hazard, and there are 1,373 of these rolling bombs on Canadian roads right now. The fix is to replace the hose and route it away from the contact spot where it won’t cause any more problems.

Be watching for notice from the NHTSA and/or Polaris on the status of U.S. models and potential recalls. It’s probably coming sooner, rather than later.

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