What Polaris’s RZR Recalls and $27.25 Million CPSC Penalty Mean for Injured Riders

Short answer: In 2018, Polaris Industries agreed to pay a $27.25 million civil penalty to settle U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff charges that it did not immediately report fire hazards in certain RZR and Ranger off-road vehicles. Polaris did not admit the charges. For someone hurt in a RZR fire or crash, the penalty and the recalls around it do not decide anyone’s case, but they can shape what questions to ask, what evidence to keep, and how quickly to act.

Side-by-sides like the RZR are common on Utah trails and dunes. This post covers what the CPSC charged, which RZR fire recalls the agency has announced, how to check whether a specific vehicle is included, and how that history fits into a Utah product claim.

What the CPSC Charged

The CPSC announced the penalty on April 2, 2018 (release number 18-134). The settlement agreement and the Commission’s provisional order were published in the Federal Register on April 4, 2018 (83 FR 14447, CPSC Docket No. 18-C0001). According to the CPSC, the Commission provisionally accepted the agreement by a 4 to 0 vote.

The core charge was that Polaris had information reasonably supporting the conclusion that the vehicles contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard, or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, and did not notify the CPSC immediately, as federal law requires. The staff charges for the RZRs, as stated in the agreement, were:

• The vehicles. About 133,000 Model Year 2013-2016 RZR 900 and Model Year 2014-2016 RZR 1000 vehicles, which “could catch fire while consumers were driving, posing fire and burn hazards to drivers and passengers.”
• The timing. Polaris filed its full report on February 19, 2016. By then, Polaris reported it had received reports of 150 fires, including the death of a 15-year-old passenger “from a rollover that resulted in a fire,” 11 reports of burn injuries, and a fire that burned ten acres of land.
• The recall. By the time the April 19, 2016 recall was announced, Polaris had received more than 160 reports of fires and 19 reports of injuries, including first, second and third degree burns.

The agreement also covered about 93,500 Model Year 2014-2015 Ranger XP 900, XP 900 EPS and CREW 900 vehicles, where staff charged that a heat shield could fall off and create fire and burn hazards.

Polaris’s side is part of the record too. In the agreement, Polaris said it “conducted reasonable, expeditious, and diligent investigations” into the reports, that fires in gasoline-powered vehicles “are notoriously difficult to evaluate,” and that fires “can, and do, occur in gasoline-powered vehicles for reasons unrelated to any potential defect.” The agreement states that it “does not constitute an admission by Polaris or a determination by the Commission that Polaris violated the CPSA’s reporting requirements,” and that the recalls were conducted “out of an abundance of caution.”

RZR Fire Recalls in the CPSC Record

The CPSC’s recall database lists a number of RZR recalls for fire hazards. These are the ones we reviewed in detail:

• October 6, 2015: about 53,000 Model Year 2015 RZR 900 and 1000 models. A misrouted fuel tank vent line could be pinched, pressurizing the tank and leaking fuel.
• April 19, 2016: about 133,000 Model Year 2013-2016 RZR 900 and 1000 models that “can catch fire while consumers are driving.” This is the recall at the center of the penalty. The CPSC told owners to stop using the vehicles and contact a dealer for a free repair, and Polaris agreed to suspend sales of recalled vehicles until repaired.
• September 1, 2016: about 13,000 Model Year 2016 RZR XP Turbo and XP 4 Turbo vehicles, including 2,230 recalled in December 2015. The engine could overheat and a turbo drain tube could loosen. The CPSC reported 19 fires and six burn-injury reports, and said one fire “occurred in Utah’s American Fork Canyon, which led to a young child suffering severe burns and 15 acres of forest land being destroyed.”
• March 2, 2017: about 13,500 Model Year 2016-2017 RZR 900, 1000, Turbo and GENERAL 1000 vehicles, for engine misfire overheating and a contaminated brake master cylinder that could cause brake drag.
• April 2, 2018: about 107,000 Model Year 2014-2018 RZR XP 1000 vehicles. A cracked exhaust silencer could keep the heat shield from managing heat, melting nearby parts or causing a fire.
• December 5, 2024: about 21,000 Model Year 2024-2025 RZR XP 1000 and XP 4 1000 vehicles. A battery terminal cover could be damaged by the seat base, exposing the positive post and causing a short.

The database also lists RZR fire-hazard recall alerts in 2021, 2022 and 2023, along with non-fire recalls. Aftermarket makers have had their own recalls too. In 2025, SuperATV recalled carrier bearings sold for RZR XP and Turbo S models for fire and burn hazards. That is a reminder that the part that failed is not always the one the vehicle’s manufacturer made.

How to Check a VIN

Recalls are tied to specific vehicle identification numbers, and the CPSC notices warn that “VINs are not sequential and not all VINs in the ranges above are included.” Model year alone does not answer the question.

• Find the VIN. It is stamped on the frame, and the location varies by model. The recall notices point to the driver’s side rear frame rail above the PVT cover on the 2013-2016 models, the right rear frame behind the engine on the RZR XP 1000, and the left rear wheel well on the 2024-2025 XP 1000. Your owner’s manual will show where it is on your vehicle.
• Run it through Polaris. The recent CPSC notices direct owners to Polaris’s off-road recall lookup or Polaris at 800-765-2747.
• Read the CPSC notice. Search the recall list at cpsc.gov/Recalls for the hazard description, the remedy, and the number of incidents reported at the time.
• Get the repair history. Ask the dealer for records showing whether recall work was done, and when. If you bought the vehicle used, the prior owner may never have received the notice.
• Save what you find. Take a dated screenshot of the lookup result. Recall pages and lookup tools change over time.

How Recall and Penalty History Can Matter in a Utah Claim

A recall is not a verdict. It does not prove that your vehicle had the recalled defect, or that the defect caused your fire or crash. Under the Utah Product Liability Act, the question is whether the product had a defect “at the time the product was sold” that made it “unreasonably dangerous.” That usually takes an inspection of the actual vehicle and, in a fire, a fire-origin investigation.

Still, the history can matter in several ways:

• It points the investigation. A recall description tells you which component to look at, and the incident counts in the notices show what the company had been told.
• It can bear on what the company knew and when. The CPSC agreement lays out a timeline of reports and filings. Whether any of that is admissible in a particular case, and for what purpose, is for the judge to decide.
• Timing matters under the evidence rules. Utah Rule of Evidence 407 says that when measures are taken “that would have made an earlier event that caused injury or harm less likely to occur,” evidence of them is not admissible to prove negligence, “a defect in a product or its design,” or “a need for a warning or instruction.” The court may admit it for another purpose, such as impeachment or, if disputed, the feasibility of precautions. The rule is aimed at fixes made after the event that caused the injury, so whether a recall came before or after your crash can change the analysis.
• Modifications will be examined. The Act counts a post-sale alteration or modification that changed the product’s purpose, use, function or design as “fault” for allocating responsibility (78B-6-705). Expect questions about aftermarket parts and repairs.

We do not list verdict or settlement amounts in RZR cases here. Many product cases resolve with confidentiality terms, so there is no reliable public figure to point to, and no two fires or crashes are the same.

The Two-Year Deadline

A product claim in Utah must be filed within two years from when you discovered, or should have discovered, both the harm and its cause (Utah Code 78B-6-706). The Utah Supreme Court has held that calling the claim negligence does not avoid that deadline when the claim is about a product that was defective when sold. A claim against another driver may have four years, but the product claim will not wait that long. We explain the rule and the cases in Utah’s Two-Year Deadline for Defective Product Claims.

Keep the vehicle exactly as it is. Tell your insurer in writing not to salvage or sell it, and do not let anyone start repairs. For more on these cases, see our pages on Polaris RZR accidents, UTV rollovers, rollover accidents, burn injuries and product liability, and our posts on ATV and UTV accident claims and defective car parts.

West Injury Law is not affiliated with Polaris Inc. Product names are used only to identify the vehicles discussed in public CPSC records.

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