Montana: Is Your Off-Road Toy on the Recall List?

Montana is a great place for off-road adventures.

With miles and miles of trails on public land, Montana is a great place to explore with an off-road vehicle. One of the most popular styles of off-road vehicles is side-by-sides, but these motorized toys also include ATVs, dirt bikes, and dune buggies. The state of Montana refers to all of these as Off-Highway Vehicles, or OHVs. Currently, several OHVs are under recall for various safety issues. We'll get to them below. 

Got your Trail Pass for 2024?

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks notes that in addition to registering your OHV, as of 2019 a permit is also required.

An OHV Trail Pass is required to ride on designated motorized routes and trails on all public lands in Montana.  Residents may obtain an OHV Resident Trail Pass, which is valid for two years. Nonresidents may obtain an annual Nonresident Temporary Use Permit, which is valid for the calendar year (January 1 – December 31).

The OHV Trail Pass is $20 and can be purchased anywhere you buy a fishing license or online HERE.

Recent OHVs and Snowmobile recalls.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has several OHVs listed with recent manufacturer recalls. While Montana does not consider snowmobiles an OHV, we're including them in this article.

BRP US

The 2022 and 2023 Can-Am Defender series, Commander series, and Maverick series with HD7 or 700 engines have incorrect maintenance information in the owner's manual, which could lead to clutch failure. Fragments of the clutch may cause injury. More info HERE.

Kubota Utility Vehicles

The CPSC reported, "Components of the steering shaft/steering system could have been improperly assembled which can lead to loss of control, posing crash and collision hazards." All models appear to be included in the recall. More details HERE.

Polaris RZR 200

Regarding this Youth model, the CPSC notes that the steering system can lock up while in use, posing a crash hazard and risk of serious injury to children. Find out more info HERE.

Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic

Recall details report, "Pressing the brake and throttle pedals simultaneously can deactivate the throttle. If the brake is then released, the vehicle can move and the throttle can still be deactivated, posing a crash hazard and risk of serious injury." See more info HERE.

Polaris Patriot 850 Matryx

The hazard with this sled involves the ring gear on the primary clutch, which can fail. This could cause the clutch assembly components to come loose, posing an injury hazard to consumers. Find more details HERE.

Polaris Patriot 9R MATRYX PRO RMK and Patriot 9R MATRYX RMK KHAOS

This model may have the same ring gear/clutch issue as the 850 Matryx models. See more info HERE.