KYMCO USA Marketing Communications Manager Rick Pawelka reported the company has issued a voluntary recall alert for about 1,700 2008 model year Mongoose youth ATV models. “A manufacturing defect in the carburetor can cause the throttle to stick open, posing a risk of serious injury or death to the rider,” described Pawelka. This recall includes 2008 Mongoose 50cc, 70cc and 90cc youth ATVs, he added, which were sold through KYMCO dealers nationwide from August 2007 through June 2008 for between $1,700 and $2,100. No injuries have been reported, but consumers should immediately stop using these vehicles and contact an authorized KYMCO dealer to schedule a free repair, Pawelka concluded.

“MATTruck, LLC, headquartered in Oxford, MS, has changed its company name to SARGE Motors, LLC,” reported Director of Marketing Bill Fye, who added the company’s introductory vehicle will no longer be known as the MATTruck but rather the SARGE. CEO Hal Ferrell continued by saying, “Our company vision extends beyond just the one offroad vehicle we have referred to as the MATTruck, so it makes sense to change the company name to reflect that. To take that one step further, we hope the vehicle’s new name ‘SARGE’ can establish a theme that can be drawn upon to name future products; We had realized that MATTruck, as a vehicle name, just didn’t lend itself to that.”

All-terrain vehicles (ATV) have been banned from over 700,000 acres and on the levees serving as boundaries for the four wildlife areas in South Florida, stated the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The paper told us law enforcement officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said there are too many ATV riders harming the habitat by speeding, carving muddy trails and leaving trash behind. “The problem has gotten worse as the number of ATVs has increased in recent years,” the Sun-Sentinel added.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a voluntary recall of Arctic Cat ATVs due to a failure of the vehicles to return to idle correctly. According to the CPSC the 2008 50cc and 90cc ATVs “could have a problem returning to idle when the throttle is released” and no injuries have been reported at press time. “About 6,000 of the ATVs were sold at Arctic Cat dealerships between July 2007 and June 2008, retailing for $1,800-$2,400,” said the CPSC. The recall is said to involve 18 models of ATVs and consumers are reportedly asked to stop using these vehicles and to contact their local dealer for a free repair.

“Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) announced that the Senate voted to expand regulations for operators of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) in Massachusetts,” stated the Wicked Local Plympton Web site. It told us the bill requires all ATVs and snow vehicles to be registered by Sept. 1, 2008 and enforce strict age requirements in the use of these vehicles. “Regarding age regulations, this legislation requires that owners of ATVs who allow individuals under the age of 18 to use their vehicles be held accountable for any damage or injuries,” the site explained, adding the bill also bans the use of ATVs by anyone under the age of 14 and limits the engine size of ATVs for children between the ages of 14 and 16. ATV owners under the age of 18 must successfully complete a recreation vehicle safety and responsibility course and all operators of an ATV must wear a helmet, concluded the site.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a voluntary recall of Kawasaki 2008 model year ATVs due to a speed control problem, stated an online news site. “The KFX 50 and KFX 90 youth ATVs can have problems returning to idle ... About 6,000 of the ATVs imported by Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., of Irvine, CA, were sold from August 2007 through June 2008 for $1,750-$2,200,” the site explained. Consumers are reportedly asked to stop using these vehicles and to contact an authorized Kawasaki dealer to schedule a free repair.