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Yamaha
Rhino 700 FI Lineup |
Cypress, CA (9/30/2009)
-Since the fall of 2003, Yamaha has had a target
on its back. That was the year Yamaha launched
the innovative 2004 Rhino 660 Side-By-Side vehicle.
Although it was not the first side-by-side machine,
the Rhino took the off-road industry by storm
and wowed consumers worldwide. Competitive manufacturers
rushed to develop, or re-energize, their side-by-side
offerings, realizing the world’s demands
for such a capable and versatile machine. With
new product offerings —a Rhino 700 FI and
Rhino 450 — Yamaha’s utility vehicle
continued to appeal to the masses and grow in
popularity. The Rhino became synonymous with side-by-side
vehicles and its name became the moniker for the
“style” of machine, not only the brand
(Much like consumers refer to personal water craft
as “jet skis”). It also became the
industry’s top-selling side-by-side.
Unfortunately, its own success and impressive
growth created another target. Misinformation,
a few irresponsible consumers, false press releases
and attack ads by plaintiff attorneys on Google
and TV have placed the second target on Yamaha
and its Rhino. The unfair target has grown large
enough to create an inaccurate and potentially
negative public impression. This, in part, led
to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s
March announcement, in cooperation with Yamaha,
of a free repair offer for the Rhino 660 and
450 models. The free repair consisted of adding
rear wheels spacers and the removal of the rear
anti-sway bar. Yamaha said it included all of
its Rhino vehicles (including the 700 FI) to
eliminate public confusion, although the CPSC
was only focused on the Rhino 450 and 660 models.
This was not a recall but rather a voluntary
repair program, and there’s a significant
difference between the two.
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|
| One
of Yamaha's free Rhino repairs comsisted
of adding rear wheel spacers to make the
vehicle safer |
The
voluntary repair program also consisted
of the removal or the rear anti-sway bar |
Yamaha says it agreed with the CPSC to offer
this free modification program to address issues
raised by the CPSC. However, Yamaha firmly stands
behind the Rhino as a safe, reliable off-road
vehicle. Along with award-winning credentials
from the media and its best-selling side-by-side
status, Yamaha backs the Rhino’s engineering
and design with the most important fact of all.
More than 99 percent of Rhino owners use the
vehicle without report of incident. Even so,
Yamaha and the CPSC examined the small segment
(which is less than 1 percent) of Rhino owners
who have experienced an issue with the machine
and developed modifications the CPSC said, “may
help reduce the chance of a rollover and improve
vehicle handling in certain situations.”
