A defective oil pump led Yamaha to recall 2,300 model year 2009 to 2011 motorcycles.
The recall includes several variants of VMX17 (V-Max) motorcycles manufactured in Japan from September 2008 through April 2011, which were distributed in the United States by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
In affected motorcycles, abnormally high oil pressure can build up inside the oil pump, Yamaha stated in its Sept. 26 letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This pressure can force the thrust washer on the oil pump shaft against the oil pump housing, causing a malfunction. If this happens, oil will stop pumping through the engine, resulting in severe engine damage. The damage could cause the engine to stall and not restart again, according to the safety recall.
The recall, which will begin this month, and Yamaha dealers will replace the oil pump free of charge. According to Yamaha, the oil pump replacement procedure does not require draining the engine oil.