Youth ATVs are a great idea. They get kids outside. They get them learning vehicle control and dynamics. And they're just plain fun. My daughter has been rocking Kawasaki's KX50 ATV for the last year and change, and she's ripping around the house like a bat out of hell, giggling like some manic crazy person.
But lately, a host of off-brand youth-oriented ATVs have seen recall after recall after recall. Some, including the one we're going to talk about today, could have deadly consequences, and I'm stuck wondering whether the savings are worth the risk? That's not to say that brand names like Kawasaki, Yamaha, Can-Am, or Polaris don't have recalls. They do. But based on the evidence presented and that RideApart has covered in recent months, they're nowhere near as dangerous as these Temu ATVs.
Case in point, Yamazuki's latest youth ATV recall "due to risk of serious injury or death." That said, the recall is for missing...brake lights?
According to the recall notice, "This recall involves XW-A17 Electric Youth ATVs sold under brand names including Sunderwell in blue, green, orange and pink," states the description, adding, "'Model: XW-A17' is printed on the identification plate located on the front left side of the frame column."
However, in the hazard area of the recall, it states, "The recalled youth ATVs violate the mandatory safety standard for ATVs because they are missing brake lights, reducing visibility of the youth ATV to other vehicles, posing a deadly crash hazard."Now, I'm not saying that missing brake lights should probably be caught by the factory ahead of them shipping, but I'm not not saying that.
How do you miss taillights? Honestly? Or is this a case where they weren't installed to begin with and the company skirted safety laws by selling them through folks like Amazon and Walmart? Because that's absolutely where they were sold. What's more, there's now a free "repair" kit that customers can get through Yamazuki and install themselves.
Customers are encouraged to contact Yamazuki at 626-420-6433 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, email at info@yamazukipowerports.com, or online at https://yamazukipowersports.com/pages/recallor https://yamazukipowersports.com/and click “Recall” at the top of the page for more information.
And while I get the want for a good deal, especially in today's economy, there's always Facebook Marketplace with used deals on name-brand stuff. For me, that's the route I'd take.
