Owners of some popular, entry-level trail, backcountry and utility 2021 and 2022 Ski-Doo snowmobiles are being urged to return their sleds to their dealerships for an update after a recall was announced in early May by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) due to a potential fire hazard.
The recall has actually been in the works for some time – we first caught wind of it in March – so most owners of the first-year sleds featuring a new fuel-injected engine have likely already been contacted. But when the CPSC issues the official statement like it did on May 13, it’s news worth reporting.
Approximately 5,400 Ski-Doo MXZ Sport 600 EFI, Renegade Sport 600 EFI, Backcountry Sport 600 EFI, Expedition Sport 600 EFI, Skandic Sport 600 EFI and Tundra Sport 600 EFI models are covered by the recall. Most are model year 2021, though early-build 2022 models are also included.
The Problem
According to the CPSC’s recall notice, if the snowmobile’s muffler gets too hot, it can cause the upper right-side grill to melt and drip plastic onto the exhaust system, which in turn can then create a fire hazard.
Of the 5,400 models out in the field, there have been 10 incidents of overheating mufflers, including three that resulted in fires, according to the CPSC. No injuries have been reported.
“Consumers should stop using their recalled vehicles immediately and contact a Ski-Doo dealer for a free repair,” the CPSC statement says.
The New Engine
The news comes on the heels of an otherwise very successful launch of the new pricepoint-focused series of sleds featuring the brand new 599.4cc liquid-cooled engine.
The new Rotax twin is specifically targeted to create just 85 horsepower. It shares bottom-end components with the roughly 130 hp 600R engine found in higher-end models, but it utilizes a traditional throttle-body EFI system instead of E-TEC direct injection, and it doesn’t feature variable exhaust valves.
That engine is in turn placed in a rather stripped-down yet modern chassis, and the resulting sleds are then cast out into the market at particularly affordable prices.
Here at the Snow Goer headquarters, we had a 2021 MXZ Sport 600 EFI (MSRP: $8,649) as a full-season demo model last year, and it proved particularly popular with a wide variety of riders.
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