On August 10, 2023, Piaggio Group Americas submitted a safety recall report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for certain 2023 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello and V100 Mandello Aviazione Navale motorcycles due to a rear shock absorber that could break. This could, in turn, lead to a loss of control for the rider and increase the risk of a crash.
Only certain V100 Mandello and V100 Mandello Aviazione Navale motorcycles are included in this recall, because it relates to a run of Kayaba suspension components. The V100 Mandello S uses Öhlins suspension components and is not affected by this recall.
According to Piaggio Group Americas, approximately 260 bikes in the US may potentially be involved in this recall, representing one percent of the population. Of these, 76 have been sold to customers and 184 are currently in dealer inventory across the country. The affected bikes were produced between October 28, 2022, and July 14, 2023. Affected VINs range from ZGUMGUA09PM000002 to ZGUMGUA09PM000212 and are not sequential.
The issue involves Kayaba rear shock absorbers that did not conform to the established standards, and were supplied missing either one or, in some cases, both bushings. Use of these non-conforming rear shock absorbers on bikes could reportedly “turn at an angle in its mounting point and become rigid and could break at the lower shock mount,” according to the recall report submitted by Piaggio.
So far, Piaggio has reported two known cases of this failure occurring in the wild. Both took place in the Italian market, with one case reported on July 7, 2023, and the second reported on July 27, 2023. After investigating and identifying the problem, Piaggio presented an update campaign plan on August 4, 2023.
To address this issue, Piaggio will conduct a safety recall of bikes within the affected VIN range. Under the terms of the recall service, owners will be instructed to take their bikes to authorized Moto Guzzi dealers for a complete inspection of the rear shock absorber. If a rear shock absorber is found to be missing one or both bushings, the mechanics will replace the entire shock absorber with a correctly outfitted unit. This service will be provided to affected owners free of charge.
According to the plan submitted to NHTSA, Piaggio says it will notify dealers on August 22, 2023. It will also send letters to owners on August 22, 2023.
Owners may contact Piaggio customer service at 1-212-380-4433. Additionally, owners may contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. The NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 23V-572.
