On April 16, 2020, Polaris issued a recall for the Model Year 2018 to 2020 Ranger XP 1000 & Crew XP Off-Road Vehicles. According to the recall, number 20-733, the clutch belt can break and damage the secondary clutch and the fuel line, which can represent a fire hazard. The recall has affected approximately 80,000 units of the off-road vehicles.
The recall specifically involves the following models (and vin ranges):
- 2018 Ranger XP 1000 EPS (4XARRE990J8044280 – 4XARRU99XJ8520576)
- 2019 Ranger XP 1000 (4XARRB990K8895382 – 4XARRW99XK8910509)
- 2019 Ranger CREW XP 1000 (4XARSB990K8895984 – 4XARSW999K8903801)
- 2020 Ranger XP 1000 (4XARRB991L8914393 – 4XARRW99XL8920524)
- 2020 Ranger CREW XP 1000 (4XARSB995L8890622 – 4XARSW99XL8920737)
The off-road vehicles were sold in a number of colors, including black, orange, bronze, green, titanium, camo, suede (metallic gray), maroon, red, gray, white, and blue. The vehicles were available with either two or four seats. The VIN can e found on labels attached to the vehicles’ frames on the left front of the wheel well. “Polaris” is stamped on the front grille; “Ranger” is printed on the sides of the utility bed.
The defective off-road vehicles were available at Polaris dealers nationwide from October 2016 through October 2019; the off-road vehicles were sold for prices ranging from $15,000 to $27,500.
According to Polaris, there have been at least four reports of the clutch belts breaking, resulting in fuel line damage and fires; however, the company claims that no injuries have been reported.
Polaris is urging affected consumers to immediately stop using the recalled off-road vehicles and contact a dealer to schedule both a free inspection and a free repair. Polaris is directly notifying dealers and affected consumers.
Should you follow the recommendations mentioned above? Should you contact a Polaris dealer for a free inspection and a free repair? If you or a member of your family suffered harm associated with a defective product, you might have grounds to pursue a product liability claim. If you would like to explore the possibility of pursuing a product liability claim after you or a member of your family suffered harm associated with a defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm at your earliest convenience.
Normandie Law Firm is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of claims – including product liability claim. Our defective product liability lawyers have many years of experience representing the best interests of consumers affected by defective products. Our lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to hold the company liable for all the harm suffered. If you are ready to discuss your claim with the experts at our firm, do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.
The Risk Associated with the Defective Off-Road Vehicles
As previously mentioned, the clutch belt can break resulting in damage to the secondary clutch and fuel line; this represents a potential fire risk. What does this mean? The defective product could start a fire, that could significantly harm unsuspecting consumers. Consumers could suffer significant harm, including but not limited to burn injuries and smoke-inhalation injuries – which can lead to additional complications. The fire risk could also lead to property damage.
Did you or a member of your family suffer harm associated with the Polaris fire risk? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience – you might have grounds to pursue a claim based on the details surrounding the incident.
Product Liability and Your Right to Sue
Do you have the right to sue for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered because of a defective product? Depending on the details surrounding the incident and the harm suffered, you might have grounds to sue – your right to sue will be based on the concept of product liability.
What is product liability and how does it determine your right to sue? Based on the concept of product liability, all companies owe their consumers a duty of care – companies have the duty to ensure that their products are completely safe for their consumers to purchase and use. This means that companies must test and inspect their products to ensure that they are able to identify and address any hazards potentially present in their products. When companies fail to identify and address the hazards present in their products, they are breaching their duty of care; this means that companies are also negligently putting their consumers at risk of injury.
A breach of duty could cause an incident which could result in harm. Whenever a breached duty of care directly contributes to the harm that a consumer suffers, the company that breached the duty of care towards consumers could be held liable. This means that affected consumers could sue the company liable for the harm suffered.
If you would like to learn more about product liability and your right to sue after being harmed by a defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm immediately. Our lawyers are ready to help you pursue your claim against Polaris.
Could You Recover Monetary Compensation?
Could you be eligible to recover compensation for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered? Depending on the details surrounding the incident, you might be eligible to recover monetary compensation upon reaching a successful claim outcome. What could you be eligible to receive? Depending on the details surrounding your claim, you might be eligible to receive compensation for some of the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
- Punitive damages
If you would like to learn more about your right to recover some of the categories of compensation listed above, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm immediately. At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers are ready to aggressively fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim. Our lawyers will not rest until you recover the compensation that you deserve.
Prepare to File Your Claim
After being involved in an incident, it can be difficult for affected parties to follow specific steps necessary to prepare to pursue a claim. This is also the case with incidents caused by defective products. There are a number of steps that affected individuals must follow to ensure that they gather the tools necessary to eventually be able to pursue a product liability claim.
What should you do after being harmed by a defective product? Consider the following recommendations:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Take photos of all injuries suffered
- Take photos of the defective product
- Take photos of property damage (caused by the defective product)
- Contact the company to report the defect, the incident, and the harm suffered
- Do not agree to a refund
- Do not agree to a free repair or replacement
- Do not agree to return the defective product
- Speak to witnesses present at the time of the incident
- Collect any video footage that might have captured the incident
- Collect all medical records related to the harm suffered
- Collect all purchase records associated with the defective product
- Seek legal assistance from a product liability attorney immediately
If you would like to learn more about the importance of following the steps listed above after being harmed by a defective product, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm immediately. Our lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance necessary to pursue your claim.
The Statute of Limitations
Without a doubt, you might have grounds to sue for the harm that you suffered because of a defective product. However, you must pursue your claim within the appropriate length of time to preserve your right to sue. This is because all claims are subject to a statute of limitations. A statute of limitations determines the specific length of time that claimants have to pursue their claims; if claims are not filed within the time allowed by the applicable deadline, claimants will lose their right to sue.
What deadline applies to your claim? What is the statute of limitations that applies to your product liability claim against Polaris? In general, product liability claims (in the state of California) are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This means that claimants only have two years to file their claims. As mentioned above, if claimants fail to file their claims on time, they could lose their right to sue.
In some cases, certain exceptions could apply – exceptions that could toll or pause the deadline. For example, if the victim was underage at the time of the incident, the statute of limitations could be extended until the victim reaches an adult age. In cases in which the victim is left mentally incompetent (in a coma, for instance), the statute of limitations is tolled until the victim regains mental competency.
For more information about the statute of limitations (and any possible exceptions) that might apply to your product liability claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm immediately.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Are you interested in learning more about your right to pursue a product liability claim after being harmed by a defective product? If you were harmed by a defective Polaris off-road vehicle, you might have grounds to pursue a product liability claim against the company. If you would like to learn more about your right to pursue a product liability claim against Polaris for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm at your earliest convenience.
At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including defective product claims. Our product liability lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and hold the negligent company accountable for the harm that you suffered. Our lawyers are ready to fight for your rights as an injured consumer.
At our firm, we are dedicated to remaining accessible to all affected parties. Therefore, we offer free legal services, which include free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns – our lawyers will provide you with the information that you need to pursue your claim against Polaris or any other negligent company. Whether you need to start or continue your claim, you can trust that our lawyers are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue your product liability claim. Would you like to discuss your claim with the experts at our firm? If you are ready to benefit from our free legal services, contact our firm as soon as possible.
Our firm also offers a Zero-Fee guarantee, which ensures that our clients will not be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Our firm is also strictly based on contingency, meaning that our clients will not be required to pay anything until after reaching a successful outcome. If you do not win, you will not have to pay anything. Do not hesitate to contact the product liability lawyers at our firm today.
