You may remember that in 2022, Polaris issued a recall regarding electrostatic discharges (ESD) in fuel tanks. This also impacted the shipping and delivery process of the 2023 models.
ESD is a complex issue and, although the repair provided for this recall helped reduce the sources of ESD, it has been determined that it does not completely eliminate the risk.
The situation – Electrostatic discharges
It has been determined that certain Matryx snowmobiles from model years 2021-2024 and AXYS 2015-2023 may still pose a fire risk due to electrostatic discharges inside the fuel tank. Eight ESD incidents have been reported on snowmobiles that have already undergone the previous recall repair.
For Polaris, this situation is not acceptable. However, a temporary solution allows owners of affected models to continue riding safely this winter, pending a permanent repair. Therefore, this recall does not interrupt the snowmobile season for Polaris owners.
The Solution to Continue the Season
Of course, Polaris understands the importance of the snowmobiling season. Therefore, it shares this solution to allow snowmobilers to ride safely this winter. So, drivers affected by this revised recall are requested to follow these steps:
- Use fuel containing E10 (10% ethanol). Choose an octane rating of 91 or higher to prevent electrostatic discharges.
- Replace the fuel type designation on the snowmobile’s gauge with the designation “Ethanol.”
- Polaris will send new recommended fuel labels beginning in early March to drivers who have used their snowmobiles, reflecting the instructions for using E10 (10% ethanol) gasoline and gasoline with an octane rating of 91+.
For more information on the recall and the proposed solution, snowmobilers can visit www.polaris.com/snowmobilecustomersafety.
