CAN-AM Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT APPX. 70 MPH, MY CRUISE CONTROL DROPPED OUT REDUCING VEHICLE SPEED TO SUCH A DEGREE TO BE A DANGER TO ME AND ANY FOLLOWING VEHICLES. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY IN ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE PROBLEM; I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. IT HAPPENED SEVERAL MORE TIMES SO I QUIT USING CRUISE CONTROL. DEALER LATER DETERMINED IT WAS THE HOUSING-SWITCH. IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND CAN-AM WON'T STAND BEHIND THE PRODUCT EVEN THOUGH IT HAS LESS THAN 6000 MILES ON IT. I BELIEVE PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

BIKE WOULD VEER INTO OTHER LANES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALERSHIP REPEATEDLY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. IN OCTOBER 2010 I GOT A RECALL NOTICE. AFTER REPROGRAMMING MY COMPUTER, STEERING WORKED BUT DPS/ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON CONSTANTLY. DEALER AGAIN REPEATEDLY CAN'T FIND PROBLEM. THEY RESET CODES AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. IN MARCH 2013 AGAIN I TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP. THIS TIME IT NEEDS A NEW DPS COMPUTER FOR $1200 PLUS LABOR. THEY TOLD ME TO CALL BRP TO SEE IF THEY WILL PAY FOR NEW COMPUTER. BRP CASE #4090722. I JUST GET THE RUN AROUND. TOO BUSY TO GET TO IT NOW. THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE FIXED IT THE FIRST TIME. EXCUSES! IT IS STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP 3 WEEKS LATER, WITH NO END IN SIGHT. MY BIKE HAS A TOTAL OF 4000 MILES ON IT BECAUSE I MIGHT GET KILLED WITH THIS PROBLEM. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. *TR

WHEN MANUALLY TURNING THE TURN SIGNALS OFF AFTER CHANGING TRAFFIC LANES, THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WILL FLASH OR TURN ON. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS BRAND NEW. SOMETIMES IT BECOMES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE TURN SIGNALS OFF BECAUSE EVERY TIME YOU MASH THE BUTTON THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL COMES ON. AT THE 4500 MILE CHECKUP I HEAD THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH REPLACED AND IT WORKED FOR 5 MILES AND THEN STARTED ACTING UP AGAIN AND IS NOW DOING EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS DOING BEFORE. I CARRIED IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE SWITCH REPLACED AGAIN AND EVERY CAN-AM WE TESTED ON THE LOT DID THE SAME THING. EVEN IF THE TURN SIGNAL WAS NOT ON AND YOU MASHED THE BUTTON IN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WOULD BLINK. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED THE OEM AND THEY ASSIGNED IT A TROUBLE TICKET NUMBER AND SAID IT WAS AN ON-GOING ISSUE AND WHEN THEY FOUND A SOLUTION THEY WOULD FIX IT. IT'S BEEN A YEAR AND THERE HAS BEEN NO ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THIS TURN SIGNAL PROBLEM OR ANY WORD FROM THE OEM THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON IT. WHEN GOING THROUGH A MAJOR CITY LIKE DALLAS OR AUSTIN AND CHANGING LANES AND HAVING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL COME ON OR REFUSE TO GO OFF AND THEN HAVING TO MESS WITH IT WHILE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC POSES A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE DRIVER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CAN-AM SPYDER RT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CAN-AM SPIDER RS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE LIMP HOME MODE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE THEN DECELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND FAILED TO ACCELERATE MORE THAN 10 MPH. THE FAILURE HAD RECURRED TWO TIMES PREVIOUSLY. A DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 374. UPDATED 9/4/13 *CN

CAN AM SPYDER WAS BEING RIDDEN BY OWNERS WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE AND WITHIN 5 MINUTES THE GAS TANK HAD EXPLODED AND BIKE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES . THE MOTORCYCLE HAD BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP LESS THAN A MONTH BEFORE THE INCIDENT AND NOTHING WAS MENTIONED OF PROBLEMS WITH THE EVAPORATION CANISTER WHICH WE HAVE SINCE HEARD THERE WAS PROBLEMS WITH THIS MAKE AND YEAR. WE HAVE CONTACTED THE BRP COMPANY AND THEY HAVE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS A PROBLEM UNTIL THEY ISSUED A RECALL IN DECEMBER 2012. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED VERY EASILY HAD SOMEONE NOT SPOTTED THE FIRE UNDERNEATH THE SPYDER CLOSE TO THE GAS TANK AND ALERTED US TO GET OFF THE BIKE. WITHIN MINUTES THE BIKE WAS CONSUMED IN FLAMES AND THE FIRE DEPT. HAD TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. WE HAD ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE DONE ON THE BIKE AND ALL RECALLS PERFORMED. WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET BRP TO RESPOND TO OUR CORRESPONDENCE.

BRP OF CANADA MAKES & SELLS THEIR CAN-AM SPYDER THREE WHEELED TRIKE MOTORCYCLE IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS WELL KNOWN BY THIS VEHICLE'S OWNERS THAT THIS TRIKE PRODUCES A LARGE AMOUNT OF HEAT WHICH IS DIRECTED AT THE DRIVERS RIGHT SIDE FOOT REST AREA MAKING IT AN EXTREMELY HOT AREA ON SAID VEHICLE. SINCE THIS IS ALSO WHERE THE ONLY METHOD OF BRAKING THE VEHICLE RESIDES, I BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND HAVE BEEN TRYING ( UNSUCCESSFULLY ) TO GET THE BRP CAN-AM PEOPLE TO CORRECT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS PERMANENTLY INJURED. THEY HAVE DECLINED MY EFFORTS AND REQUEST FOR A FIX TO THIS ISSUE IN A LETTER I RECEIVED. SPOKE WITH A MS. NATASHA 1-888-272-9222 AT BRP REGARDING MY CASE # [XXX] ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS AND RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HER DATED 30-JAN-2013 STATING THAT THE DEALERSHIP ( CENTRAL FLORIDA POWER SPORTS - KISSIMMEE FLORIDA ) HAS EXAMINED THE TRIKE AND DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE IS FUNCTIONING WITHIN THE MANUFACTURERS GUIDELINES. I TOLD HER THAT I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW AS WELL AS BEING A SAFETY ISSUE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CAN-AM SPYDER MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SMELLED OF GASOLINE AND FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE OVERFLOW TANK. THE CONTACT HAD THE DEALER REPLACE THE TANK TWICE BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,500.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CAN-AM SPYDER MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, HE NOTICED FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL CANISTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE CANISTER WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800.

5 MILES INTO A TEST RIDE THE MOTORCYCLE DEVELOPED A SHAKING IN THE FRONT END FROM SIDE TO SIDE THAT WAS FELT IN THE HANDLE BARS. BEFORE MOTORCYCLE COULD BE STOPPED FRONT WHEELS TURNED ON THEIR OWN CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO GO LEFT OF CENTER INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. *TR