2014-2016 Indian Models Recalled for Fire Risk
Indian Motorcycle is recalling 2014-2016 Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Dark Horse and Roadmaster models because of a risk of unburned fuel passing through the exhaust system. The recall affects 18,367 motorcycles in the U.S.
According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, unburned fuel may enter parts of the exhaust system if the engine misfires. This would cause exhaust temperatures to rise. If the temperature of the catalyst is high enough to ignite unburned fuel, certain other components may become hot enough to create a fire risk.
Polaris was first notified of a potential problem on April 30, 2015. A technical representative was sent out to investigate the report and perform on-site analysis. Polaris began to investigate the cause of the problem while reviewing all other claims to establish a potential pattern.
Based on its analysis, Polaris concluded the problem occurs because the engine calibration does not use a gross misfire detection strategy in the case of a misfire. To correct this problem, dealers will re-flash the engine control module on affected motorcycles. The updated software will detect engine misfires and, if repeated misfires are detected, it will cut off fuel to the misfiring cylinder for the duration of the ignition key cycle. A yellow malfunction indicator light will also turn on.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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