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Mark Hinchliffe·
Motorbike newsRecalls
··2 Comments·1 min read

Hyosung recalls GT650R over oil leak

Hyosung GT650R
Hyosung GT650R

PS Importers has issued a voluntary recall for the Hyosung GT650R over an issue with an oil leak.

The notice, issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says there is a possibility that an engine oil-way blanking plug may become dislodged.

“If the blanking plug is dislodged oil, will leak from the engine and may come into contact with the tyres,” the notice says.

“This may cause loss of traction and/or control of the motorcycle.”

Affected owners of a GT650R will be contacted when parts are available.

They should then contact their nearest authorised Hyosung dealer to arrange for an inspection and free repair of the motorcycle.

VIN and engine numbers of affected GT650R bikes are available by clicking here.

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS ON RECALLS

Recall notices are issued by the manufacturer through a voluntary industry code under the ACCC.

Despite hundreds of recalls by various automotive manufacturers, only a handful have been mandatory. All others have been issued by the manufacturer.

While any recall is not good news for the manufacturer, it shows that they are largely diligent in fixing problems.

In Australia, recalls are issued through the federal Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (DIRD), Vehicle Safety Standards division (VSS), and posted by the Australian Consumer and Competition Competition Commission (ACCC).

If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.

To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:

• Australia

• USA

• UK

• New Zealand

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Mark Hinchliffe
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2 Comments

  1. How voluntary these voluntary recalls are is highly questionable. I don’t believe they have a choice.

    That said, the following is interesting:
    ———
    “If the blanking plug is dislodged oil, will leak from the engine and may come into contact with the tyres,” the notice says.
    “This may cause loss of traction and/or control of the motorcycle.”
    Affected owners of a GT650R will be contacted when parts are available.
    ———
    … so it is a potentially life threatening defect, but they will call you when parts become available … just keep riding folks 🙂

  2. DANGEROUS VEHICLES

    It would appear that a major vehicle importer has attempted to cover up a serious design flaw that has the potential to risk life and limb.
    I discovered a serious manufacturing flaw in a motorcycle my son was riding.  An oil gallery blanking plug became dislodged whilst in use, covering both wheels, tyres and all brakes with engine oil.  This could cause the immediate loss of control of the vehicle and presented such a serious safety issue I followed it up with the manufacturer.  
    They tried to give me the ‘run around’, until one of their employees admitted they had been aware of the problem for a while and had been trying to rectify it.  I pursued this matter out of serious concern for users of this vehicle.  I produced two reports which were forwarded to the manufacturer and the Federal Department responsible for vehicle safety.  I then had to make a further report for that government department as they had to have it in a different format. 

    I was subsequently advised by the Senior Investigator in the vehicle recall section that they would not be investigating the matter as it appeared to be ‘One Off’ event and they did not have the staff to follow it up.  

    I have to admit being somewhat astonished, I pursued the matter further and in a phone call to that person I pointed out the company had prior knowledge of the safety issue; but had done nothing to warn customers nor initiate a recall. He stated he had missed that fact in my report and that he would follow it up.

    That resulted in a full investigation and the company subsequently issued a recall for 500 vehicles, about eleven months later, in November last year.

    When that recall was issued the Government product safety recall web site advised that

    “If the blanking plug is dislodged oil will leak from the engine and may come into contact with the tyres. This may cause loss of traction and/or control of the motorcycle.

    One can only assume that this scenario could also pose a serious safety risk to the operator.  I received a recall notification from the manufacturer last month stating that “….there is NO immediate safety risk…”????

    The recall raised more questions than it answered. The company only issued the recall after they were investigated. Even though they admit prior knowledge and took no action, the recall department state that the company complied with their obligations under the relevant legislation and has not taken any action against the company nor sanctioned them in any way.

    The recall department will not tell me how they came to this conclusion. I have concerns regarding the:

    ‘Cover Up’ by the company.
    Its flippant attitude towards public safety.
    A possible ‘Cover Up’ by the Federal department.
    The potential for life threatening faults to ‘slip through the cracks’ due to funding constraints.
    A lack of transparency in the findings of the Federal department.
    The potential for corruption.

    It is not my intent to cast aspersions on any person involved but there is always a potential for money to change hands for a more favorable outcome.

    To my knowledge none of this information has been released by any media organisation. The journalist I did contact was very interested until I pointed out his publication would have a conflict of interest; as the company involved advertises extensively in his and most other major motorcycling publications in this country. I have not heard from him since that initial contact in December last year.
    This is a fairly complicated matter. I am a former police officer in SAPOL and also spent some time as an investigator for the Motor Accident Commission in South Australia.

    I have been told that I am most likely the first person in Australia to single-handedly bring about the recall of a motor vehicle. What concerns me even more is that there is no mandatory recall notification to Federal or State Coroners nor Police. That being the case who would know if injury or death has occurred as a result of this defect.

    I have a chain of documentary evidence and photographs to corroborate this information and can forward the same to your offices.

    Feel free to contact me via email.

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