The recall involves all Rhino 450, 660 and 700 model vehicles. According to an official news release, the CPSC staff has investigated more than 50 incidents involving 46 driver and passenger deaths related to the Rhino. They report more than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers, and many appear to involve turns at relatively low speed and on level terrain.

Beasley Allen attorney and Product Liability section head Cole Portis has reviewed over 75 Yamaha Rhino rollover claims in the past two years. He says,”We are concerned that this recall, while a good first step, does not address the inherent design flaws that make the Yamaha Rhino so susceptible to low-speed rollovers. However, I remain hopeful that this government recall will serve as a wake-up call and that Yamaha will re-evaluate their practice of putting profits over people. ”

The recall originally only included the 450 and 660 models, but within a day of the announcement the CPSC added the 700 model as well. The recall includes about 120,000 of the 450 and 660 models and 25,000 of the 700 models.

Yamaha will suspend sales of the vehicles until they are repaired, and consumers are urged to stop riding the vehicles until repairs are made.

Yamaha’s recommended repair includes the installation of a spacer on the rear wheels and removal of the rear anti-sway bar to help reduce the chance of rollover and improve vehicle handling. The repair also includes installation of half doors and additional passenger hand-holds, which Yamaha already recommended after earlier reports of rollover injuries.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › CPSC, Yamaha recall Rhino vehicles

Friends and family located his body in Adelanto after they searched the area for 45 minutes. Arapetyan was thrown out of his ATV after driving on a rough trail. His body became intertwined with the left front side of the ATV and was then dragged across the trail.

Arapetyan was driving at an unknown speed with no helmet and no seatbelt. At this time, alcohol and drugs are not considered to be a factor.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Rhino rollover accident kills Victorville man

The Ledger Dispatch reports the driver, who was from Livermore, received “major injuries” to his neck and face, and was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment. The passenger, a resident of Galt, endured injuries to her neck and right arm and also was airlifted for treatment, to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael.

According to the news agency, the accident occurred Aug. 30 at close to 2:30 p.m., when the driver steered into a sharp left turn and the vehicle rolled over. Neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing seatbelts or helmets at the time of the accident, the report states.

The Ledger Dispath noted the Yamaha Rhino has been linked to rollovers since its introduction in 2003, and cites a report from U.S. Recall News, saying riders and passengers have suffered “debilitating fractures” when pinned under the weight of the vehicle. The two teens injured in the Saturday accident were in a 2007 model Yamaha Rhino.

In August 2007, the Yamaha Motor Corporation sent a safety bulletin to Rhino owners advising that the vehicle could be returned to Yamaha dealers for installation of new safety equipment – doors and passenger handholds, to improve the vehicle’s safety following numerous reports of rollover accidents and injuries.

The 2007 Yamaha Rhino owner’s manual was updated to include the new doors and handholds, and Rhino owners were provided a supplemental guide about the new safety features, and a label for the Rhino dashboard outlining the risk of vehicle rollover. Doors and passenger handholds were made standard features in the 2008 model of the Yamaha Rhino.

It is unclear from the Ledger Dispatch report whether the Yamaha Rhino involved in the weekend’s rollover accident had doors or handholds.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Labor Day weekend Rhino rollover

The truth is, I come across these types of stories almost every day. Happy bloggers talk about their new Rhino or other ATV, looking forward to exciting times with their young children and posting photos similar to the one of Pitt. It makes me cringe to see small kids, sometimes with no helmet or other protective gear, pictured in these vehicles.

Almost as often, I read the stories of broken bones and lost loved ones as a joyride turns into tragedy.

ATVs are meant to be fun, of course, but they should be treated using extreme care and caution. Young people, in particular, should be properly trained about how to safely operate them and should always wear protective gear. These are NOT toys. These are pieces of heavy machinery with powerful engines. A Yamaha Rhino weighs more than 1,000 pounds.

The All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI), a not-for-profit division of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), provides safety tips for ATV riders, including a caution that adults should closely supervise children younger than 16 on these vehicles. The organization also recommends that all ATV riders take a safety course.

Seeing a 2-year-old in her father’s arms on a Rhino in particular is scary. I’m sure he was going at a slow speed, and I’m sure he thought he was being careful. But pending claims against this particular vehicle allege that design defects make the Rhino fundamentally unstable. Information provided by the company’s web site, www.yamaha-motor.com and in the Yamaha Rhino Owner’s Manual acknowledges that “abrupt maneuvers or aggressive driving have caused rollovers – even on flat, open areas.”

Thankfully, Pitt will only have to endure the criticisms of the public, rather than the heartbreak of serious injury caused by his thoughtless action. I hope that as his celebrity status spreads the story, others will get the message that ATVs can be dangerous. Unfortunately, however, his action may instead be imitated by others who won’t be so lucky.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Pitt toddler Rhino ride causes stir

Fortunately, the girls were not hurt, but Uncle D ended up with a compound fracture in his arm and shoulder, with bones breaking the skin and a lot of blood loss. A family friend, the father of one of the girls thrown clear in the accident, is an EMT, and was able to free Uncle D from under the Rhino, where he had been pinned, and stabilize him until he could be transported to the emergency room. He underwent surgery, where he had rods and pins inserted to hold the bones, and a week’s stay in the hospital.

What should have been a weekend full of family fun, barbecue and camping turned into a near tragedy and serious injury. Too many people are still unaware of the dangers of ATVs, and, in particular, the Yamaha Rhino, which is believed to have a design defect that makes it more liable than most to roll over, even on flat ground.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Family 4th marred by rollover

Ryan was only 10 years old at the time of the accident, which occurred about 14 months ago. Albert is still recovering from his injuries, which included a broken tibia, fractures, broken bones and infection. He is on crutches and has undergone several operations. The full story is in the Press Republican, which serves northeastern New York.

This incident has a relatively happy outcome, in that Ryan was able to save his father, but it adds to a growing list of serious injuries and deaths resulting from accidents involving the Yamaha Rhino. The Rhino has been in production since 2003, and since that time there have been numerous instances of rollovers, which have led to allegations of a fundamental design defect in the ATV that causes it to be unstable and easy to roll.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › New York boy saves father in rollover