Yamaha Rhino 660 ATV Causes Serious Risk Of Injury And Death For Riders
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Yamaha's Rhino 660 has been the object of much criticism and debate over the last few months due to its alleged design defects that cause the popular ATV to unnecessarily rollover without warning. The Rhino 660 has been cited as the cause of hundreds of injuries across the U.S. to its consumers since its introduction by Yamaha in 2003. The typical injuries sustained involve broken legs, ankles, feet and arms. There have even been a number of reported amputations and deaths related to the Rhino's use and operation.
The main alleged defect relates to the high center of gravity the Rhino encompasses which according to reports promotes a higher incident rate of rollovers. The shortened wheel base and powerful engine of the Rhino make it much more prone to tipping and rollovers. When a rollover occurs many passengers accidentally and/or instinctively use their leg to try and prevent the Rhino from flipping over. When this occurs, the sheer weight and force of the ATV usually crushes the occupant's limbs as they catch outside the ATV.
Critics of the Rhino 660, such as our clients, say the ATV should have encompassed a better design and a footwell door that would help prevent these events from occurring and thereby reduce the number of injuries related to the Rhino's use.
In November of 2007, Yamaha decided to try and rectify this problem by adding a safety door to the Rhino 660. It also issued a recall notice and safety alert to have previous versions of the Rhino 660 add the safety door free of charge.
According to the Yamaha website:
Special Offer to Rhino Owners
Yamaha has developed new doors and additional passenger handholds for the Rhino. These new features, as shown in the pictures below, are designed to help keep occupants from sticking arms or legs out of the vehicle in response to a side rollover. They may also enhance passenger stability and comfort. Yamaha recommends that Rhino owners have these doors and handholds installed on their Rhino vehicles.
The sad thing is this safety alert and recall was not issued years ago when the manufacturer learned of this critical design defect. The serious issues and injuries outlined above have been known for years now by Yamaha but for some unknown reason they choose not to take any real corrective action until this safety alert and notice.
As a result of this inaction and unresponsiveness to its unreasonably dangerous product, our firm is currently investigating and litigating viable personal injury claims against Yamaha as the manufacturer of the unreasonably dangerous Rhino 660. If you or a loved on have sustained injuries as a result of its use or some other ATV, please contact one of our personal injury attorney's immediately to ensure your rights are protected. We are happy to answer your questions and address your concerns free of charge.
The alert as stated applies to owners of the Yamaha Rhino 660 manufactured from 2004 to 2007.