On July 23, 2020, Polaris issued a recall for a number of their vehicles, including the 2020 Ranger XP 1000 and Ranger CREW XP 1000 Off-Road Vehicles, the 2019 and 2020 PRO XD 4000D UTVs, the 2019 PRO XD 2000D UTVs, and the 2020 Bobcat UV34 and UV34XL UTVs. According to the recall, number 20-765, a clutch component was improperly manufactured, which can cause the engine breaking feature to fail; this can lead to unexpected vehicle motion, which can represent a significant crash risk. The recall has affected approximately 13,200 products in the U.S.
The recall specifically involves the 2020 Ranger XP 1000 and Ranger CREW XP 1000 Off-Road Vehicles, the 2019 and 2020 PRO XD 4000D UTVs, the 2019 PRO XD 2000D UTVs, and the 2020 Bobcat UV34 and UV34XL UTVs. The affected products were available in black, maroon, sand, green, orange, camo, blue, gray, and white. They were available with either two or four seats.
The PRO XD and Ranger models have “POLARIS” stamped on the front grille, with either “POLARIS PRO XD” or “Ranger” printed on the sides of the rear cargo area. The Bobcat models have “Bobcat” printed on the sides of the rear cargo area.
The recall includes the following vehicles:
- 2019 PRO XD 4000D
- 2019 PRO XD 2000D
- 2020 PRO XD 4000D
- 2020 Ranger XP 1000
- 2020 Ranger XP 1000 Crew
- 2020 Bobcat UV34
- 2020 Bobcat UV34XL
The vehicles were sold at Polaris dealers around the country from September 2019 through April 2020; they were sold for prices ranging between $14,6000 and $26,300. According to the recall, the company has received at least 14 reports of unexpected motion of the vehicle or drive clutch locking; this includes at least one report of a crash resulting in property damage. According to the company, no injuries have been reported.
The company is urging all affected consumers to immediately stop using the vehicles and contact them to schedule a free inspection and, if necessary, a free repair. Polaris is notifying dealers and registered owners directly.
Were you affected by the recall? Did you or a member of your family suffer harm associated with the defective product? If so, you should do more than simply contacting the company for a free inspection and repair of the product? What should you do? You should contact a lawyer to learn more about the legal options available to you after suffering harm due to a defective product. Specifically, you should inquire about your right to file a product liability claim.
Are you interested in learning more about your right to file a product liability claim? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible. At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including product liability claim. You can trust our product liability lawyers to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to hold the negligent company accountable for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered. If you are ready to speak to our experts, contact our firm today.
Understanding the Crash and Injury Risk
As explained above, a defect with a clutch component can cause the engine breaking feature to fail; this can result in sudden and unexpected vehicle motion, which can cause crashes and injuries. Consumers who are on the vehicles (or even near the vehicles) could suffer significant harm associated with the defective product. Head injuries, traumatic brain injuries, neck injuries, back injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures, lacerations, sprains/strains, and many other injuries can be suffered. Some of the injuries resulting from the incident could be fatal. Other injuries could cause permanent harm. Regardless of the harm caused by the accident, it is important that affected consumers are aware that they could sue for the harm suffered.
You Could Sue based on Product Liability
As mentioned above, you could sue for the harm that you suffered due to a defective product. Your right to sue is based on the concept of product liability. Based on product liability, all companies owe their consumers a duty of care – specifically, a duty to ensure that the products released to consumers are completely safe to be used as intended. Companies must test and inspect their products; doing so allows them to identify and address the hazards present in their products (before any consumer is harmed). When companies fail to ensure that their products are safe for consumers to use, they are breaching their duty of care. This breach of duty puts consumers at risk of suffering harm. When consumers are harmed as a direct result of a breached duty of care (i.e. a defective product), the company could be liable for all harm suffered.
In other words, if a consumer suffers harm associated with a defective product, the consumer could sue the liable company. Specifically, affected consumers could pursue product liability claims. If you would like to learn more about your right to sue for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered associated with the defective Polaris vehicles? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible. Our lawyers are ready to help you gain a better understanding of your right to sue based on the concept of product liability.
What Should You Do?
If you or a member of your family suffered harm due to a defective product, there are a number of steps that you should do to prepare to hold the liable company accountable for the harm caused by the defective product. What should you do? How could you prepare to pursue your claim? Consider some of the following recommendations:
- Seek medical care as soon as possible
- Take photos of the injuries suffered
- Take photos of the defective product
- Take photos of the scene of the accident (including property damage)
- Contact the company to report the incident and the harm suffered
- Do not agree to return the defective product
- Do not agree to a free repair or free replacement
- Do not agree to a refund
- Keep the defective product in a safe place
- Do not tamper with the product in any way
- Gather all medical records associated with the harm suffered
- Gather any records associated with the purchase of the defective product
- Gather records of property damage
- Speak to witnesses, take note of their testimonies, and collect their contact information
- Gather any surveillance video that might have captured the incident
- Seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible
When you follow the steps listed above, you are getting ready to take action against the company that contributed to the harm that you or a member of your family suffered. For more information about the steps that you and your family should take after being harmed by a defective product, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our firm as soon as possible.
Recovering Compensation for the Harm Suffered
Without a doubt, you might have grounds to pursue a claim based on the concept of product liability. If your claim reaches a successful outcome, you could even be eligible to recover monetary compensation for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered. Some of the categories of compensation available for recover could include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Funeral costs
- Burial costs
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
The type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive will always be based on the details surrounding your claim; therefore, it is essential that you discuss the details of your claim with an experienced product liability lawyers. You can trust the experts at our firm to aggressively fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim. If you would like to learn more about the compensation that you could be awarded if your claim reaches a successful outcome, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our product liability lawyers as soon as possible.
File Your Claim within the Statute of Limitations
Although you might have the right to sue based on the concept of product liability, it is important that you take legal action within the appropriate length of time to preserve your right to sue. All claims are subject to a statute of limitations, which establishes the total length of time that claimants have to file their claims. If claimants do not file their claims within the time that is strictly allowed by the statute of limitations, they will lose their right to sue.
Because of this, it is essential that you have a thorough understanding of the time that you have to sue. How long do you have to pursue your product liability claim against Polaris? In California, product liability claims are subject to a two-year statute, which means that claimants only have two years to pursue their claims. However, it is possible for exceptions to apply (based on the details surrounding the claim); if exceptions apply, the deadline could be tolled for some time. For more information about the specific length of time that you have to pursue your product liability claim against Polaris, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible. You must act promptly to preserve your right to sue.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Were you or a member of your family harmed as a result of the defective Polaris vehicles that were recently recalled? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible. Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including product liability claims that arise from incidents involving defective products. Our product liability lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to hold the negligent company accountable for the harm that caused by the defective product. Would you like to discuss your claim with the experts at our firm? If so, contact us today.
At our firm, we offer free legal services, which allow us to remain accessible to parties who have been harmed by defective products. Our free legal services include free consultations and free second opinions; during these free legal services, our lawyers will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our defective product lawyers will be available to provide you with all the information that you need to start your claim or continue your claim (after starting it with another lawyer). Would you like to benefit from our free consultations or free second opinions? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible.
Our firm offers all clients a Zero-Fee guarantee, which ensures that our clients will never be required to pay any upfront legal fees for our legal services. In addition, our firm is based on a strict contingency structure; therefore, our clients will not have to pay anything until after reaching a successful claim outcome – if you do not win, you will not be required to pay anything.
If you are ready to discuss your claim with the experts at our firm, contact our firm today.
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