North America has made a recall on several 2014 Victory Motorcycles models including the 2015 Gunner because of a manufacturing error that may cause an engine to seize. The recall campaign affects 872 units in the U.S. In addition to the 2015 Victory Gunner, the recall affects the Boardwalk, Cross Country, Cross Country 8-Ball, Hammer 8-Ball, Jackpot, Judge, Ness Cross Country, Vegas 8-Ball and Vision from the 2014 model year.
All of the recalled units were manufactured from Jan. 22 to April 25, 2014, though Polaris estimates less than 1.5% of all manufactured units have the problem.
According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some engine crankcases were not machined to the proper specification, resulting in insufficient clearance from the crankshaft. This may cause the engine to unexpectedly seize, potentially resulting in a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The problem was first detected on Victory’s production line in March. Under Victory’s quality control procedures, all engines are started and briefly run once assembled and before installation into a chassis. On March 26, one such engine stopped running during this test. At this point, Polaris initiated an investigation into what caused the failure.
On April 15, two additional engine failures occurred, forcing a stop to Victory shipments. Upon further investigation, Victory determined the some out-of-specification crankcases had gotten past the quality control measures of its vendor, WSI Industries of Monticello, Minn.
Victory has begun measuring every engine still in the company’s possession to determine whether the ends of their crankshafts have enough clearance from the crankcase. Victory has also started contacting owners of motorcycles that have already been sent out. Owners are being told to stop riding their motorcycles and make an appointment with a dealer for inspection and any necessary repairs.
