ExMark Quest Riding Mower Recall Issued Due to Crash Risk

Exmark has recalled about 5,300 riding lawn mowers, following reports that suggest the mower’s steering assembly may fail and cause riders to lose control of steering.  

The Exmark Quest ZRT riding lawn mower recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on May 15, following at least nine incident reports of the mowers losing steering ability due to an assembly malfunction, which may carry a serious crash hazard. To date, at least one back injury has been received.

The recall impacts 2009 and 2010 model year Exmark Quest ZRT mid-mounting riding lawn mowers with model numbers QST20BE422 with 42 inch mowing deck, QST22BE482 with 48 inch mowing deck, and QST24BE522 with a 52 inch mowing deck. The recalled mowers are red and gray and have “Exmark” printed on the side and “Quest” printed on the front. Model and serial numbers can be located on a metal plate mounted behind the seat on the left hand side.

The affected lawn mowers were manufactured in the United States under Exmark Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Beatrice, Nebraska where they were sold at hardware, lawn and garden, rental equipment stores and other nationwide from April 2009 through October 2010 for between $4,600 and $6,000.

The CPSC recommends customers stop using the affected lawn mowers immediately and contact Exmark at 800-667-5296 or visit them online at www.exmark.com and navigate to the “Service & Support link for information on how to obtain a free repair.

In May of 2012, Exmark recalled roughly 2,200 Quest 2009 and 2010 ZRT riding lawn mowers due to the bearings supporting the riding mowers deck failing and causing the deck to interfere with the operator’s controls, potentially causing a crash hazard.