[UPDATE, February 27, 2024: Following publication of this story, a Polaris representative reached out to clarify the information presented in this recall. While the US CPSC announced this recall on February 22, 2024, they told RideApart that it is not a new recall. An official Polaris Stop Sale, Stop Ride was issued to customers and dealers on July 13, 2023 by Polaris. That's also when it first notified the CPSC about the issue.
The February 22, 2024 recall notice issued in conjunction with the US CPSC, Polaris says, is simply the latest development in an ongoing recall process. Polaris also notes in its recall notice on its website that around 14,000 total vehicles are affected globally by this issue.
For full information, please consult the Polaris link in our Sources. Polaris advises anyone affected by this issue to contact your local Polaris dealer to arrange for a free repair, and to not attempt repairs themselves.]
Original piece follows.
On February 22, 2024, Polaris issued a safety recall for certain Matryx-platform snowmobiles from model years 2022 through 2024, which are equipped with 650 and 850 Patriot engines. Affected machines could have the primary drive clutch fail, which could in turn cause the clutch to potentially separate from the vehicle. This could increase the risk of an injury or crash.
Around 9,200 affected snowmobiles in the US and approximately 3,800 in Canada are believed to be affected by this recall. The recall comes from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees safety recall campaigns on off-road vehicles.
In Canada, the counterpart organization to both the US CPSC and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is Transport Canada, which has issued a similar recall on the same range of Polaris snowmobiles for Canadian snowmobile owners.
Which Polaris Matryx Platform Snowmobiles Are Affected?
Since the Matryx is a platform and not a specific model, several specific models built on this platform between 2022 and 2024 may be affected.
Here's a full list of models listed on the US CPSC recall:
| Model Year | Model Specifics |
| 2022 | Polaris 650 Matryx Voyageur 146 |
| 2022 | Polaris 650 Matryx Indy |
| 2022 | Polaris 850 Matryx Indy |
| 2022 | Polaris 650 Matryx Switchback |
| 2022 | Polaris 850 Matryx Switchback |
| 2022 | Polaris 650 Matryx RMK |
| 2022 | Polaris 850 Matryx RMK |
| 2023 | Polaris 650 Matryx Indy |
| 2023 | Polaris 850 Matryx Indy |
| 2023 | Polaris 650 Matryx Switchback |
| 2023 | Polaris 850 Matryx Switchback |
| 2023 | Polaris 650 Matryx Voyageur 146 |
| 2023 | Polaris 650 Matryx SKS 146 |
| 2023 | Polaris 650 Matryx RMK |
| 2023 | Polaris 850 Matryx RMK |
| 2024 | Polaris 850 Matryx RMK |
Transport Canada's list is less specific than the US CPSC's, and refers to year/make/model rather than engine displacement in its official listing. Entries follow the format of "2022 Polaris RMK," for example, rather than establishing separate lines for both the 650 and 850 RMKs as the US CPSC recall listing does. However, the same snowmobile models are recalled on the Transport Canada notice.
What Happens Next?
On both the US CPSC and Transport Canada recalls, Polaris advises riders to stop riding affected snowmobiles until they can be repaired. Furthermore, Polaris is both alerting its dealership network and registered owners of the affected machines to let them know about this issue.
Customers should be able to contact their authorized local Polaris dealers to perform the necessary recall service once notifications are complete.
Have There Been Any Incidents So Far?
According to the US CPSC report, Polaris has recorded a total of 109 clutch failure reports as of February 22, 2024. Of those reports, nine also involved clutch components that separated from the unit. Additionally, one of those 109 clutch failure reports resulted in "a laceration injury."
Important Recall Information For US And Canadian Owners
If you're the owner of an affected Polaris snowmobile in the US, you should know that the US CPSC's campaign number for this recall is 24-740.
If you're the owner of an affected Polaris snowmobile in Canada, you should know that the Transport Canada recall campaign number is 2024024 - Polaris.
