Kawasaki Teryx Recalls: What the CPSC Records Show and What They Mean If You Were Hurt

What Kind of Vehicle the Teryx Is, and Why That Matters

The CPSC's recall pages call the Teryx a recreational off-highway vehicle, or ROV. That is a four-wheel vehicle built for off-road use, with automotive-style controls and seats set next to each other rather than one behind the other. Many riders and dealers call this kind of vehicle a utility task vehicle (UTV) or a side-by-side. On this page those names mean the same type of machine the CPSC pages describe.

If you are trying to match your vehicle to a notice, the first thing to know is which line it belongs to. The notices describe two: the Teryx, which seats two, and the Teryx4, which seats four. The 2015 expanded recall notice describes the Teryx 800 as having "side-by-side seating for two people, two doors, a roll bar with hand holds and a cargo bed." It describes the Teryx4 750 and 800 as having seating for four, four doors, a roll bar with hand holds and a cargo bed. The notices also name trim styles, including Non-EPS, EPS and EPS LE, and later S LE and camo versions. The CPSC pages name the distributor as Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. The 2019 and 2021 notices name the manufacturer as Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A., of Lincoln, Nebraska.

For someone holding a recall letter, the CPSC's pages are the place where the official record lives: what was recalled, why, and what fix was offered. A dealer notice or a forum post can be checked against them.

Classification also matters. Federal law defines an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) in 15 U.S.C. § 2089 as an off-highway vehicle "having a seat designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering control." The CPSC pages describe the Teryx differently: side-by-side seats and automotive-style controls. So this page does not treat the federal ATV safety standard as the rule for the Teryx. For an injured rider, that means the rules discussed for straddle-seat ATVs may not be the ones that frame a Teryx accident. Noting the exact model name, seating and model year is a practical first step, and which rules fit the vehicle is one question an attorney can help sort out.

Which Teryx Models Were Recalled and Why

Each notice below is stated as its CPSC page records it, newest first.

CPSC Recall 21-739 (April 22, 2021). The 2021 notice covers model year 2021 Teryx S LE, Teryx4, Teryx4 LE, Teryx4 S LE and Teryx4 S LE CAMO vehicles within listed VIN ranges. It states: "The fuel pump retainer plate bolts can come loose causing fuel leakage over time, posing a fire hazard." The remedy is a free dealer repair "to replace the fuel pump retainer plate bolts." The page states, "No incidents or injuries have been reported."

CPSC Recall 19-777 (September 4, 2019). The 2019 notice covers model year 2019 and 2020 Teryx and Teryx4 vehicles, listed by model code. Its stated hazard: "Incorrect joint assembly can cause steering control loss, posing crash and injury hazards." The remedy is a free repair through an authorized Kawasaki dealer. Under incidents and injuries, the page says "None reported."

CPSC Recall 16-714 (December 15, 2015). The expanded recall notice covers 2012 and 2013 Teryx4 750 4x4 vehicles and 2014 through 2016 Teryx 800 4x4 and Teryx4 800 4x4 vehicles. The page notes that an additional 11,000 were recalled for the same hazard in July 2014. Its stated hazard: "Sticks or other debris can break through the vehicle's floor board and protrude into the foot rest area, posing an injury hazard to the operator and front passenger." The remedy is a free repair "consisting of the installation of floor board guards and replacing damaged floorboards." The page states that Kawasaki "has received 628 incident reports of debris cracking or breaking through the floor boards of the vehicles, including eight reports of injuries to riders' lower extremities."

CPSC Recall 12-731 (April 26, 2012). The 2012 notice covers model year 2012 Teryx 750 FI 4x4 models, including the LE, LE SGE and Sport types. Its stated hazard: "The recalled products have been incorrectly labeled as having a higher occupant capacity than is safe. Operating the vehicle with additional occupants creates an injury or death hazard." The remedy is listed as "Replace": owners receive a replacement glove compartment cover "stating the correct occupant capacity," which they may install themselves or have a dealer install for free. Under incidents and injuries, the page says "None."

Each is a separate notice about specific model years, parts and a hazard; none describes the vehicle line as a whole. A recall is not a finding that the product injured any person, or that the manufacturer is liable. For someone who was hurt, what matters is whether their own vehicle falls inside a notice, and whether the remedy was ever performed on it. A recalled unit that never received the repair raises different questions than one that did. Questions worth asking include which notice, if any, lists the vehicle, whether a dealer record shows the fix, and whether the recalled part relates to how the accident happened.

What a Recall Does and Does Not Decide About an Injury Claim

If you are holding a recall notice after a crash, the natural question is whether it answers what happened to you. It usually answers a narrower question.

The federal rules behind a recall are about when a company has to tell the government about a hazard. Under 15 U.S.C. § 2064, a manufacturer, distributor or retailer that obtains information that "reasonably supports the conclusion" that a product contains a defect that could create a substantial product hazard, or "creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death," generally must inform the Commission. The same section lets the Commission order public notice and remedies such as repair, replacement or a refund after a hearing. The agency's regulation, 16 C.F.R. § 1115.4, explains what "defect" means for that reporting duty: "a fault, flaw, or irregularity that causes weakness, failure, or inadequacy in form or function." It adds that a defect "can also occur in a product's contents, construction, finish, packaging, warnings, and/or instructions."

That framework is about safety reporting and remedies. Whether a person can hold someone responsible for an injury is a different legal question, decided in a court case.

Product liability is the area of law that decides when a maker or seller of a product is legally responsible for an injury the product caused. In general terms, it asks three things. Was there a defect, whether in the design, in how a particular unit was made, or in the warnings and instructions? Did that defect cause the injury? And what harm resulted? Whether each is met depends on the facts of the specific case.

A recall is not a finding of liability, and a crash or a rollover is not proof of a defect. Side-by-side accidents can involve the terrain, speed, how the vehicle was loaded or driven, maintenance, a property owner's conditions, or a product problem. Recreational negligence, premises issues and product-liability theories are separate questions, each decided on its own facts. The site's page on UTV rollover claims covers that distinction for rollovers.

State law governs most of these claims. Limitation periods, comparative fault (the rules for reducing or barring recovery when more than one person's conduct played a part), and damages rules differ from state to state. No single state's rule applies everywhere.

For someone weighing what comes next, the useful questions follow from those three elements: what may have gone wrong with the vehicle, what else was going on during the ride, and which state's rules apply. Sorting a recall's relevance from the other possible causes, and identifying the state law that frames a claim, is what a conversation with an attorney can help with.

How to Check Whether Your Teryx Is Covered

Each Teryx notice identifies the covered vehicles by model year, model name and model code. The 2021 notice also lists partial VIN ranges.

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the vehicle's serial number. The 2021 notice states that the VIN "is located on the steel frame between the right-front lower A-arm mounts." The notices also say the model name is printed on the hood or on the front fenders. Comparing those details with a notice's model table is how an owner or a family typically matches a specific vehicle to a specific recall.

Each notice also states how owners are reached. The 2019 and 2021 pages state that "Kawasaki is contacting all known purchasers directly," and the 2012 page states that "Kawasaki is contacting its customers directly." Each CPSC page also has a recall complaint form for anyone who believes a company is "being non-responsive to your remedy request."

If you own a Teryx, the records that typically matter include the VIN, the model year and model code, the purchase paperwork, and any service or repair documentation showing whether a recall repair was done. For a used vehicle, the prior owner's records can fill gaps.

Coverage and completion are two separate facts. A vehicle can be in a recalled model year and still sit outside the listed VIN range. A recalled vehicle may or may not have had the remedy performed. The 2015 notice adds another layer: it states that "Consumers with previously repaired vehicles should contact Kawasaki dealers to receive this additional repair." Each of those facts can affect how a recall record fits into what happened.

Why the Recall Record Matters When You Were Hurt

A recall notice becomes part of the documented history of a product. For someone hurt in a Teryx, that history sits alongside everything else known about the ride, the vehicle and the injury. It does not replace any of it.

Each hazard is specific. The fuel pump notice concerns fuel leakage and fire; the joint assembly notice, steering control; the floorboard notice, debris entering the foot area; the labeling notice, how many people the vehicle could safely carry. Whether any of those links to a particular accident is a factual question the recall page does not answer.

When a family is still in the hospital or arranging a funeral, records can feel far from mind. But the records that often matter in a Teryx injury matter are fairly consistent. They include:

• the vehicle itself, in the condition it was in after the accident;
• the VIN, the purchase records and any rental or loan paperwork;
• service history, dealer invoices and any recall-remedy documentation;
• medical records and bills;
• incident reports and police or sheriff's reports;
• photos and video of the vehicle, the scene and the injuries;
• the names and contact details of witnesses and riding companions.

Whether a recall remedy was completed on the specific vehicle is one fact that may matter to how a case is analyzed. So are the condition of the recalled part, how the vehicle was being used, and where the accident happened, because that state's law sets the rules. The site's overview of how off-road injury claims work explains negligence and product theories in more general terms. Recall records for other makes, such as the Polaris RZR recall records, are covered on their own pages and say nothing about the Teryx.

If you are trying to understand how one of these recall notices fits with the facts of your own accident, you may want to consider a conversation with our attorney. You can request a case evaluation to talk through the vehicle, the recall and what happened.