CAN-AM Complaints

BRP, DESPITE ISSUING SERVICE BULLETINS ABOUT HIGH DRIVE BELT TENSION, WILL NOT REPAIR DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE HIGH TENSION SPECIFIED IN MANUFACTURE AND SERVICE FOR THEIR CAN AM SPYDER ROADSTER. TSB 2010-06 ADVISES REDUCED TENSION FROM 1400 NEWTONS TO 450 NEWTONS TO PROTECT AGAINST DAMAGE TO FRONT OUTPUT SHAFT AND REAR BEARING FAILURES. CONSEQUENTLY, COSTS TO REPAIR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THEIR ORIGINAL TENSION SPECIFICATION ARE ASSESSED TO THE OWNER. REPAIR COSTS ARE IN EXCESS OF $2,000. *TR

RIDING ON A TWO LANE RESIDENTIAL STREET WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE STEERING PULLED HARD TO THE LEFT AND TOOK ME INTO THE ONCOMING LANE. HAD A ONCOMING CAR BEEN COMING IN MY DIRECTION I WOULD HAVE HIT IT HEAD ON AT APPROXIMATELY A 30 DEGREE ANGLE. THIS HAPPENED SO FAST AND I WAS TRYING TO COUNTER STEER BACK INTO MY LANE AND ALMOST FLIPPED WHEN THE STEERING RELEASED. I HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH A 2008 CAN AM SPYDER. THIS PROBLEM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED ACCORDING TO BRP, BUT IT IS STILL HAPPENING. THIS 2009 SPYDER WAS BOUGHT BAND NEW AND SHOWS THAT THE DPS WAS CHECK AND OR CHANGED BEFORE IT WAS SOLD TO ME. IT IS APPARENT THAT THE NEW UNIT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE NEW ONE. I ALSO WISH TO REPORT THE RANDOM SMELL OF FUEL WHICH CAUSES ME CONSIDERABLE WORRY SINCE MY 2008 CAN AM SPYDER WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WHEN IT UNEXPECTEDLY BURST INTO FLAMES AS I WAS LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CAN AM SPYDER ROADSTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DUE TO THE EXHAUST BECOMING EXTREMELY HOT, THE CONTACT BURNED HER LEG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXHAUST WAS DIRECTLY AIMED AT THE LEG OF THE DRIVER. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK AND EXCHANGE IT FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 238. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CANAM SPYDER ROADSTER. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED DOWNHILL OR ON ANY TYPE OF INCLINE, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT INTO REVERSE INDEPENDENTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS RELATED TO THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 238. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CAN-AM SPIDER ROADSTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V162000 (STEERING) SEPTEMBER 2010 AND HAD BEEN TRYING TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL SINCE THAT TIME. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED NUMEROUS TIMES AND CONTINUALLY ADVISED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR REPAIRS WERE ON BACKORDER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CAN-AM SPYDER ROADSTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN NEUTRAL WHEN IT INDEPENDENTLY SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND BEGAN REVERSING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKES BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN MOTION IN ORDER TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,028.

BRP HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR DYNAMIC POWER STEERING UNIT REPLACEMENT. DATE OF MY NOTICE WAS 9-7-2010. MY CAN AM ROADSTER IS STILL NOT REPAIRED AS BRP WILL NOT SEND OUT A REPLACEMENT PART UNTIL THEY REC'D THE OLD UNIT. THIS MAKES DEALER REPAIR DEFECTIVE ROADSTERS 1 AT A TIME. 6 MONTHS WITH A RECALL NOTICE AND I AM 8TH OF MY DEALERS LIST. HOW COME BRP DOESN'T RAMP UP PRODUCTION OF REPLACEMENT UNITS TO GET THEM OUT TO THE DEALERS. *TR

CA-AM / ROADSTER SPYDER 2010 RTS SE5 TRANSMISSION. SINCE PURCHASE THE ROADSTER HAS BEING HAVING ON GOING STALLING ISSUES WHILE OPERATING. THIS ROADSTER WITH THE SE5 TRANSMISSION REQUIRES THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE NEUTRAL GEAR CAN BE ENGAGED FOR A RESTART. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED WHILE OPERATING IN TRAFFIC AND PUTS THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AT RISK FROM A REAR END COLLISION. *TR

CAN-AM SPYDERS WITH THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC "SE5" TRANSMISSION CAN LURCH FORWARD AND RAPIDLY DECELERATE WHEN THE THROTTLE IS MOSTLY OPEN AND THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT BUTTON IS PRESSED TO SHIFT TO THE NEXT HIGHER GEAR. OPENING THE THROTTLE FOR QUICK ACCELERATION, WHEN MERGING INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, FOR INSTANCE, RESULTS IN FORCES THAT PUSH A RIDER'S BODY TOWARD THE REAR OF THE MOTORCYCLE. WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS, THE TRANSMISSION DROPS TO NEUTRAL SUDDENLY AND FOR MORE SEVERAL SECONDS RESULTING IN THE RIDERS' BODIES BEING ACCELERATED FORWARD RAPIDLY--OPPOSITE THE ACCELERATING FORCES--IN AN UNSAFE MANNER THAN CAN RESULT IN NEAR EJECTION FROM THE MOTORCYCLE. ALSO, WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL FOR SEVERAL SECONDS, THE MOTORCYCLE DECELERATES RAPIDLY, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A REAR-END COLLISION, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THE DRIVER WAS INTENTIONALLY ACCELERATING QUICKLY FOR A MANEUVER SUCH AS MERGING OR A LANE CHANGE INTO FASTER TRAFFIC. THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, USUALLY WHEN THE SPYDER IS COLD, I.E. WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF STARTUP. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN BETWEEN 27 AND 50 DEGREES, THOUGH I DO NOT KNOW IF THE ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURE CONTRIBUTES TO THE ISSUE.

CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING RECALL ON CAN-AM BOMBARDIER SPYDER CONCERNING THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE RECEIVED ANOTHER RECALL REGARDING THE POWER STEERING UNIT. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AT GETTING THE RECALLS TAKEN CARE OF. THE POWER STEERING UNIT MALFUNCTIONED WHICH CAUSED THE MOTORCYCLE TO VEER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *JB