Arctic Cat Snowmobile Fires and Oil Leaks Lead to Recall

About 3,000 Arctic Cat snowmobiles have been recalled after eight of the vehicles had fires develop due to oil leaking into the engine compartment.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the Arctic Cat snowmobile recall on Wednesday, involving the 2009 Arctic Cat Z1 Turbo, Z1 Turbo Sno Pro and TZ1 Turbo model snowmobiles. The snowmobiles were sold at Arctic Cat dealerships nationwide from June 2008 through July 2009 for between $12,500 and $14,300.

In addition to the eight snowmobile fires, Arctic Cat has received reports of at least 25 more vehicles with oil leaks that could have resulted in a fire. It has also been reported that the fuel tank can make contact with the engine, which could lead to fuel leaking into the engine as well. Although no injuries have occurred, this could expose the rider or bystanders to risk of severe burns.

This is the second time in more than a year that an Arctic Cat recall has been issued for snowmobiles due to the risk of fires. In December 2008, about 10,000 2009 Mountain Cat and Crossfire Snowmobiles were recalled due to the risk of fuel leaks. The defect was traced to mounting hardware used to secure the fuel pump. There were no reports of property damage or injuries associated with that defect.

Owners of the recalled snowmobiles should stop using the vehicles immediately and contact an Arctic Cat snowmobile dealer in order to schedule a free repair. The company says that registered owners have been notified of the recall by mail.