Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
V-07-05-0105/03/200710026306Victory: rear sprocket cushion drive kit 2876257 parts availability update. *pe10/16/2008
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
V9910R07/22/1999V9910R612127The rear sproket bolts on the affected machines may loosen, causing abnormal noise that may be mis-diagnosed as transmission noise. the sproket bolt kit must be installed on all affected units to prevent loosening of the sprokets bolts.06/06/2000

Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
POWER TRAIN
RP07001POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC.11/09/200701/25/2008TRANSMISSION LOCK-UP
 Both the petiton for rulemaking, defect, and noncompliance order, and the petiton for hearing on notification and remedy are denied.the agency has determined that both petitions are moot given that the manufacturer decided there was a safety defect in its motorcycles and issued owner and dealer notifications and supplied a free remedy where needed.a copy of the published notice further explaining this decision can be found in the notice of denial document in this file.
SQ99022POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC.10/13/1999REAR SPROCKET BOLTS99V304000
 Polaris issued a service bulletin in july 1999 addressing the potential for the rear sprocket bolts to loosen. a sprocket kit must be installed on all affected motorcycles to prevent loosening of the sprockets.the bulletin also states that if the wheel or sprocket surface is damaged they would need to be replaced.polaris is notifing owners to return to the dealers for needed repairs.this investigation is opened to evaluate the scope of the problem and determine the safety consequence.

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
07/25/2011260001
 Traveling 495n went to shift from 2nd to 3rd the gear kicked back to 2nd gear and after that, tried shifting back but the transmission gave away none of the gears work now, this was after the transmission recall was done.....victory is not responsible but yet they know about the issue... *tr
07/25/201126000
 Travelling 495n went to shift from 2nd to 3rd the gear kicked back to 2nd gear and after that, tried shifting back but the transmission gave away none of the gears work now, this was after the transmission recall was done.....victory is not responsible but yet they know about the issue...
04/01/20125290
 I was traveling home after purchasing the bike from the second owner. a victory v92c made in america, only 5,203 miles when i got it. i immediately noticed a very hard hitting, loud sounding clunk when i shifted gears coming from the transmission. i thought that maybe it was just the norm for this bike. i found out i was wrong and it nearly cost me my life. the first indication that i maybe in trouble was the transmission was not properly shifting in to 2nd gear or 3rd gear. when i would shift into second it would pop into neutral and sometimes when shifting into 3rd it would seem to go into 3rd for an instant and then drop into 2nd again. i am new to motorcycle riding and thought that i was doing something wrong and tried to be more attentive to my shifts. about 80 miles into my trip home it started to rain. i hit exit 50 off of i-71 in ohio and intended to head for cover at the pilot fuel station there. at the top of the exit ramp was a stop sign. i stopped and proceeded with caution. just as i hit the the apex of my left hand turn i shifted from second to third gear, released the clutch, felt third gear engage and was immediately thrown the road when the transmission slipped back into second gear. after researching the internet i have found hundreds of complaints regards to these transmissions. luckily my injuries were minor. please do something before there is a death if not multiples. sincerely, new to cycling in galloway, ohio.
09/01/201124000
 On 9/1/11 riding my stock 1999 victory v92 the motorcycle on a long trip the bike began missing 3rd gear then exiting an intersection (dry, sunny, 80, light accel) the bike randomly downshifted from 3 into 2 at 40 mph. due to unexpected rapid drop in bike speed, control of bike was briefly lost and left foot slipped off the front floorboard, hitting pavement and boot being pulled under the floorboard/frame. bike was kept up and stopped on roadside. with help of companion, i was able to safely get off bike. foot was bruised/swollen but not seriously injured. after rest and visual inspection we continued trip. i have owned this bike for 5 years and it always had some neutral issues in between 2-3 gears, but never random downshifts. after the incident, the condition repeated and grew worse until it occurred anytime the bike was in 3rd gear. being 1500 miles from home i had no choice but to continue my trip back very carefully avoiding 3rd gear with fear of piece of defective transmission locking up gears upon taking bike to victory dealership, they refused to service 1999 bikes due to lack of polaris corporate support. they also first informed me of the history of problems on 1999 trans and canceled recalls. i have been the sole registered owner of this bike since 6/2007 and have never received any official notification from polaris on defective transmissions, safety issues, or recalls. now after my own extensive research, i see the same failure on my bike is very common (over 600 going back 12 yrs) nhtsa investigations but no corrective actions. safety study documents hidden from the public by polaris lawyers. why was this clearly defective/unsafe transmission not recalled? why are the study documents hidden from the public? why was investigation closed when there is such a clear and present safety issue to the traveling public using these unsafe transmissions?
03/06/200725001
 I own a 1999 victory v92c motorcycle. the third gear constantly slips out of gear causing an extremely fast drop in speed which launches the driver forward and sometimes locks up the transmission causing the bike to go into a skid which could result in the driver losing control and crashing. *tr
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
03/10/200770004
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 victory v92c. while driving 35 mph the vehicle slipped out of gear, causing the contact to drive into oncoming traffic. the contact was able to maintain control of the vehicle. the dealer stated that the vehicle needed an upgraded transmission. the failure mileage was 7,000.*ak
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
04/15/201023142
 I have a 1999 victory v92c. and now at 23,000 i have lost 4th gear when shifting from 3rd up. i see that there have been many, many complaints about this problem with the early models from victory. victory offered to pay for half the cost of parts but nothing for labor costs. this offer ended 10-07. i purchased my v92c in june of 2008. it seems that victory knows there is definitely a problem or they would not make the offer at all. if that is the case why are they not being held 100% responsible like other vehicle manufacturers.
08/17/200916000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 victoria v92c motorcycle. while traveling approximately between 30-35 mph the transmission suddenly slipped out of third gear as a result of the vehicle stalling. the gear selector was then shifted into second gear and the vehicle continued normal operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection where the technician recommended a new transmission. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the failure mileage was 16,000.
01/08/200910000
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 victory v92c motorcycle. while riding in third gear at any speed, the gear automatically jumps to second gear. the failure locks up the wheels and causes the rear wheel to skid. the contact swerved and lost control of the motorcycle on one occasion. the vehicle cannot be driven and has been parked for over a month. the failure mileage was 10,000.
05/01/2009100001
 Transmission failure even after recall was completed....jumps out of 3rd gear down to second creating very dangerous situation. *tr
05/18/200998001
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 victory v92c motorcycle. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle automatically shifted from third to second gear. the contact swerved into oncoming traffic. the contact feels that the vehicle is unsafe to drive. the current mileage was 10,000 and failure mileage was 9,800. updated 06/03/09 *bf updated 06/04/09.*jb
08/20/2008100001
 No events leading up to failure. it was a sudden change. my 1999 victory v92c with only 10k miles just started downshifting from 3rd to 2nd gear. it is happening more and more often to the point i will not ride it now. nothing has been done to repair it because victory has no official recall and they want you, as a consumer to replace it with a new transmission at your own cost. it is around $3000. this situation has happened to thousands of other riders. there are forums all over the internet complaining about the 199,2000, and 2001 victory v92c transmissions....it is unfair! *tr
10/19/2008120001
 8 months ago i purchased a used 1999 victory v92c motorcycle that only had 6200 miles on it, i noticed shortly after buying the bike that it would sometimes not fully engage into 3rd gear. i was not made aware when i purchased the bike, of the manufacturer defect in the transmission. i have since been told that a recalled sprocket was ordered for the bikes with the upgraded transmission, but in the three months since i was made aware of the recall the sprocket has never come in, to be installed on my bike by boring polaris of oregon and my bike has never had the upgrade and i have a complete file on the history of my bike. now the transmission has just about lost 3rd gear all together, and will cost me over $3000.00 to have repaired and the bike now has 12000 miles on it. i had a local victory dealership check the bike shortly after i bought it, less than 30 days. i was never informed of these issues even though the database at the dealership shows a complete history of my bike. i know it is buyer beware, but everything i have read indicates that victory has always known of this problem but refuses to recall the bikes effected and repair the transmission. leaving the owner with a $3000.00 repair bill. how many unknowing and unsuspecting consumers have to be screwed over because of a lack of honesty on the sellers part, and victories not owning up to their responsibilities as the manufacturer. i love my bike, but now it is worthless to me in terms of resale or trade in value. i refuse to pass my problem on to someone else. *tr
09/05/2008238001
 I had to down shift to fourth gear n i tried to accelerate but the engine was revving high and i was slowing down the cause of it was that i lost fourth gear and it rattles really loud. i went to the dealer and its a 3500 fix and i know i am not the only one that had this problem so why should i have to fix it if i own there product. it should work like it should if they are selling it not have to kept dumping money into a problem that's their problem. *tr
08/05/2007700015
 My victory v92c has 7,000 miles on it and has lost 4th gear completely. it started by slipping into a false neutral once in a while and now has completely lost 4th gear. repair shop tells me that this is a huge and very common problem with these bikes and that victory will not recall them. they even said that the rear wheel could lock up and cause an accident. *tr
01/05/20005112/30/1998
 The transmission will not shift properly into third gear or will jump out of third gear. the bike will jump or lurch out of control , locking up the back tire causing the rider to lose control. sometimes the bike will begin bucking/jumping forward uncontrollably this again will cause the rider to lose control. this problem with this model/year /make is well documented. the dealers know of the problem, polaris knows of the problem but refuses to recall or correct the problem with the transmissions needs to intervene now before more riders and the public is hour or killed by these machines. this is the pinto/corvair of motorcycles. i have contacted you in the past and have contacted polaris on this matter on several occasions. this has been ongoing since these bikes were first sold. the problem happens daily,weekly every time you ride. *tr
04/20/2007701/15/2007
 I own a v92c victory motorcycle and have been experiencing problems with the transmission. i know that the nhtsa has an action on this (#peo4057) however when i take the bike in to the dealer they tell me that there is nothing wrong with the transmission. this is my second 1999 v92c and i had none of these problems on the first one that i bought new, however the current bike that i have was pre-owned and this i think is where the problem is since it was a previously owned bike they are just blowing me off. i know there is a problem and can't seem to get them to take care of it. i need advice on what to do at this point as the last time it was at the dealer they did say that polaris would change out some of the gears but that it would cost me $700-900 out of pocket for labor on an item that should be taken care of by the manufacture. thank you anthony garcia
06/01/200710000110/01/1999
 Less than 10,000 miles on motorcycle and transmissionwas slipping in third gear. *ak
11/22/2006102/24/2003
 Tl*- the contact stated that he received recall 06v298000 on november 22, 2006 for the 1999 victory v92c with 13800 current mileage. the contact complained about the length of time it was taking to perform recall repairs. there had been no failures to date.*ak
03/15/20075700103/08/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 victory v92c. while driving 15 mph the rear tire locked and caused the vehicle to skid to a complete stop. the contact was able to restart the vehicle after several failed attempts. the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. the current and failure mileage were 5,700.*ak
08/31/1999100108/30/1999
 I purchased a new victory v92c on 8/30/1999. the transmission was loud when shifting, from the very beginning. my dealer (now out of business)assured me that all was normal .a noisy clunking sound when shifting was the first sympton. false neutrals followed, then missed 3 to 4 shifts, and falling back down to 3rd when shifting to 4th. now with only 4500 miles on the bike, the transmission continues to get worse. i have filed a complaint with nhtsa in 2001 on this same vehicle but did not receive any communication from nhsta and do not see my form on this forum, so i feel re-filing is required.*ak
11/22/20051
 Tl* - the contact stated that he received a recall on the 1999 victory v92c with 78000 current mileage on november 22, 2006, which stated that on december 18, 2006 . the contact stated that he called the dealer, and was notified that the recall repair would not be scheduled until june 2007. there had not been a failure to date.*ak the recall was for the rear spocket and transmission. the consumer was told not to ride the bike. updated 03/19/07. *jb
01/07/2007109/14/2006
 I currently have a 99 victory motorcycle with a known defective transmission. polaris is currently doing a upgrade but will not publically admit that they have an issue. i know that they don't want to do anything since it would cost them too much money. i know that in the past other car companies would take some initiative and repair it on their own. i would like to see them just replace the transmission at no cost to myself or any of the other owners of their product and it's short comings. *nm
07/28/200634175406/18/2003
 We are the third owners of a 99 victory touring cruiser. the transmission clunked upon purchase and we were unsure if this was common to this bike. we have just had a replacement kit installed at a great expense. we were never injured on this bike but caught it just before major problems happened to it. *nm
09/16/2006109/15/1999
 Intermittent gear locking up between gears 2+3 and 3+4. pulling over to side of road and rocking the bike back and forth releases. unit has also popped in and out of gear 3 while under power and occurrences are increasing in frequency as the bike ages. 1999 v92c victory motorcycle 19,000 miles. dealer has acknowledged trans upgrade kit to remedy the problem and indicated polaris resolved issue with trans a year ago with customers (2005). i've been told that i would need to pay approximately $3,000 for the fix, since it was not a recalled item. *nm
08/23/200665099910/01/2000
 While driving, it is becoming more common for the transmission to pop-out of gear and into a sort of neutral state. typically it is expected while shifting into third gear. it is most likely to occur under heavy acceleration (approx 80 % of shifts). the popping out of gear first occurred shortly after purchase (october 2000), and has developed into a more common incidence. as the condition worsens, it occurs even under mild acceleration (approx 10 % of shifts). i am very concerned about a failure in traffic that will cause an accident. instances, such as crossing a busy street, or entering a freeway have been unsettling. it is my hope that the manufacture will propose a transmission fix/recall before this kills riders. *jb
05/23/2006105002501/20/1999
 My motorcycle has had hard shifting problems since it was purchased in january 1999. the gears clanged very loud and i was always told by the dealers that this was normal for this motorcycle. the problem has progressed to the point where it pops out of 2nd,3rd and sometimes 4th gears. when this occurs i have already started to accelerate in the next gear so when it pops out the drag causes the forks to compress and my body to be thrown forward. this happened to me once time with a passenger on the back so i had her body getting thrown against mine an almost lost control of the motorcycle. i have contacted the dealer and was told that i would have to commit to a tear down of the transmission at my expense. upon inspection if it was found that it was caused by normal wear and tear that i would have to pay for the repairs. *nm
05/03/20061
 I've owned my 1999 victory since new and it has always had transmission problems. these problems have included not being able to shift into first gear from neutral, false neutrals between gears, popping out of gear, popping out of third gear into second, and loud clanking during shifts. the newest problem happened just recently. the bike was parked in neutral. my wife and i were getting ready to leave a restaurant with some friends and i started the bike. the neutral light was on and i was waiting for others in the group to get started when the transmission dropped into first gear and the bike jumped forward. luckily the motor stalled and no one was hurt. the biggest problem is that some of the worst incidents are random and you don't know when they are going to happen. the transmission will shift ok one time and the next corner you come to it wont down shift or something else. of course it never does these things when you take it to the dealer. the clanking is almost every shift. i had the bike back to the dealer when it was new but was told that's just the way they are, so i've learned to live with it. most of the problems are just annoying though i have no doubt that eventually it will destroy the transmission. the jumping into or out of gear is very dangerous though and could cause an accident. i guess if i was smart i would sell the bike but then i would feel guilty if someone else got hurt on it. *jb
02/12/200610450505/10/1999
 I purchased my victory new during the first year of production. although the transmission has always been loud and sometimes slow to shift it has recently begun to lose power totally, as if slipping into neutral. in one instance this failure caused me to come very close to being hit. the transmission is now almost impossible to get into first gear from neutral after stopping. i am told that the only real fix is to have a total transmission replacement costing almost $3k from a victory dealer. *jb
03/31/20063
 When riding the motorcycle and up shifting from 3rd to 4th it will no engage sometimes. at that point i have to downshift then upshift again. *jb
10/31/20052800108/15/2004
 I purchased a 1999 polaris victory v92c used about 2 years ago and started having transmission problems it clunks very loudly when shifting it gives false neutrals between gears, im now afraid to ride with my wife on bike as the transmission sounds like its going to self destruct or lockup, as i said my wife wont get on it because the transmission is so loud she's afraid of it. i believe this bike is dangerous , and should be fixed by the company at their expense, i believed i was buying a quality product thank you for your time willard ryan. *jb
02/16/200615000510/25/2005
 On several occasions my 1999 victory v92c has miss shifted, popped into a false neutral, sometimes when going through intersections, and the shifter has locked in the up position, requiring me to push it back down before i could continue up-shifting. this is annoying and potentially dangerous in traffic. the transmission also has a seriously noticeable clunk sound when shifting. *jb
03/08/2005106001507/21/2001
 Since march of 2005 my 1999 victory motorcycle has been hitting false neutrals and downshifts in between second and third gear. i brought my bike to the dealership in november of 2005 with a request for them to check this out. mechanic at dealership took quick ride towards the end of february and said everything seemed fine. two weeks ago i called polaris and talked to josh. he said the bike had to act up for the dealership before they could fix it. i am the original owner of this bike and when i bought it i purchased the polistar extended warranty. the bike is covered by polistar until 7/06. dealer is telling me that i should pick up my bike and ride it until it gets worse or that i would have to pay $800 for a tear down if nothing is wrong. i've been riding all difference kinds of motorcycles for 35 years and the transmission on this bike is the worst i've ever had. it clunks terrible with every shift. i purchased an extended warranty to protect myself against such problems. i fear for my safety and that of my wife when riding this motorcycle. i bought this motorcycle in good faith that i was buying a top notch product. i've had other problems with it that i won't go into here since the transmission is my main complaint. i should not have to pay for this faulty transmission to be checked. polaris should stand behind their products and take care of their customers. *jb
02/02/200605/21/1999
 Consumer stated that problems accured with the transmission since summer 2001. it started out as a simple missed gear up-shifting from 2nd and 3rd gear. updated 04/06/06. *jb
12/09/20021
 While driving the motorcycle, it had become hard to shift from any gear to neutral. dealer has been notified. ph the motorcycle slipped out of third gear or jumped to neutral and missed gears. scc
07/05/2001
 The transmission will not shift into third gear or will jump out of third gear binding up transmission. bike will jump/lurch out of control, sliding back tire causing lock up skid. engaging the clutch will not stop this action. it will sometimes jump forward unexpectingly causing rider to lose control. this problem with this year/make is well documented. polaris refuses recall to correct problems. nhtsa needs to intervene now before more riders are hurt or killed by this machine. this is the pinto/corvair of motorcycles. dt
3
 Re repeated transmission failures safely resolved, but potential for major accident is extreme. re disc brakes rotors repeatedly warp, but manufacturer will no longer remedy. dt
 Transmission keeps slipping out of gear(s). dt
07/10/20015
 The transmission on my victory v92 motorcycle has jumped from 3rd to second and shifts in a very rough manner and engaged in a jumpy manner. dt
07/22/20022
 1999 and 2000 victory motorcycles have a tendency to jump from 3 rd gear back down into 2nd gear on their own. mine has only done it 2 times so far but i know from keeping in touch with other victory motorcyclists that this is the first signs of the tranny getting ready to give out altogether. victory won't replace the transmissions with the new updated, safe transmission til it does the symptom for a dealer. meanwhile, we're all running around with transmissions that could endanger our lives. automatically jumping from 3 rd into 2 nd is very dangerous on a motorcycle. it can throw the momentum of a lean straight into a skid and cause a crash. i feel victory should offer a recall on these transmissions to anyone owning one of these models. they should leave it up to the owner when to have theirs replaced as the symptoms show up. i feel this coverage should exist even when the warranty runs out due to it being a manufacturer defect. victory has already replaced many of these transmissions so they know it's a defect and their fault. please make them do a recall (as the owners notice the symptoms showing) and make sure it will be covered completely by victory at no cost to the owner whether it happens 2, 5, or 8 years, or even 10 years after purchase. people are going to get killed by these transmissions if something isn't done. dt
07/17/200250
 This is a wide spread problem with these motorcycles, it exists in 1999-2001 model years, the company has reengineered the transmissions the past 2 model years to correct the problem, but, us folks with the older motorcycles with the bad transmissions have to wait for a catastrophic failure, and if we are lucky enough to have an extended warranty, the warranty company has to ok the repair, it is my feeling that with a problem as well documented and potentially dangerous as this, the company should recall the defectives bikes and upgrade the transmissions, before someone gets hurt or killed.*ak
08/19/200220
 Transmissions in the 1999-201 polaris victory's are very dangerous, mine included. the transmission will miss a gear, causing it to go into a false neutral. this has occurred to me in passing situations and when up-shifting around a cloverleaf on-ramp. with the loss of power, immediate corrective action needs to be taken to avoid a crash that would certainly cause injury , and possibly death. my motorcycle has also dropped from 3rd to 2nd gear causing a violent, unsuspecting reduction in speed making the rear wheel skid. with no immediate corrective action, motorcycle could fish-tale into a skid and throw the driver off of the motorcycle. this motorcycle has also been in neutral, and suddenly dropped into a gear. motorcycle could have fallen on top of me likely burning and injuring me. reports also document the transmission locking at a cruising speed where there was no action that could be made to stop the skid, including clutching, and gear shifting. if there would have been a vehicle, or worse a semi, behind the bike, there would be no way they could have stopped in time, as they would not know the bike is slowing, because the brake light is not coming on. the bike's transmission flat out locked, and would only unlock, after being shut off and rolled backwards. it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt or killed, if none have been already. polaris, and victory are aware of the problem and are very limited to do anything about it. if i can be of any service please contact me. thanks!*ak
05/20/200235
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
08/18/20012
 Was crusing along at about 25 mph and the rear end locked up on motorcycle causing me to wreck. i injured my hip...at the time could not find cause of accident...so i fixed the bike and continued to ride...thereafter, the bike would occasionally jump out of third gear until this april 25th, when it totally lost third gear...manufacturer refuses to admit there is an issue, but i know of several people with same model that have had exact same problem. transmission is now being replaced by exteneded warranty company. victory needs to recall all of the '99 transmissions and have them replaced prior to failure. my bike has been out of service for over two months now due to inability of dealer to get correct parts from manufacturer.*ak
06/21/2001
 I was doing 55 on the motorcycle when something locked up in either the transmission or engine ,which caused intermittient skidding and pulling me into the guard rails. dealer is hesitant to tear the engine or transmission apart to find out what caused the failure.d. *ak
05/24/20021
 I contacted darcy betlach, victory marketing manager, on may 27th via email, describing the transmission failure. i have since traded the bike in on a 2002 victory. there seem to be quite a few 1999 v92c trnsmissions failing, yet no recall from victory. failures of this type could get someone killed.*ak
1
 The year and model transmission is begininng to show failur amd lock-up for many of the versions produced. the manufacture will not realese a blanket recall and preferers to replace only on a need basis. this in incorrect due to the possibility of transmission lock-up and serious injury to the rider. i request that this matter be investigated for restitution by the manufacture