NHTSA Complaint #10159738 — 2000 YAMAHA YZF600RG

YAMAHA 600 GRIZZLY, MOD YFM600FHM, VIN NO. JY4-AJ02W-3-YA024767 03/25/06 WHILE RIDING MY YAMAHA 600 GRIZZLY I HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WITH MAJOR FIRE. BIKE BACK FIRED THROUGH TOP OF ENGINE RELEASING LARGE AMOUNTS OF GASOLINE. I IMMEDIATELY HAD 2 FT FLAMES BOTH SIDES OF GAS TANK AS I TRIED TO STOP. FIRE IN MY FACE, HEAT ON MY CHEST I JUMPED FOR MY LIFE. I LAID THERE FEELING PAIN & WATCHING MY YAMAHA BURN TO ASH AND CHARRED METAL. LESS THAN A MINUTE FLAMES WERE 20 FT IN THE AIR. BIKE PROFESSIONALS TOLD ME THAT I WAS VERY LUCKY TO ESCAPE WITH ONLY BUMPS AND BRUISES. I REPORTED THE FIRE AND HORROR EXPERIENCE TO YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION 3/27/06. I RETURNED THE REMAINS OF BIKE TO A YAMAHA DEALER. FIRST CONTACT WITH YAMAHA WAS STEVEN WILLIAMS 800-962-7926 EXT 7328. HE ASKED QUESTIONS AND SEEMED TO BE CONCERNED IF I WAS INJURED OR NOT. WE DISCUSSED YAMAHA PAST HISTORY OR RECALLS. NO, NEVER WAS WILLIAMS QUICK ANSWERS. I ASK FOR A FORMAL INVESTIGATION. YAMAHA TOOK WEEKS TO REPORT ON 5/25/06 THAT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE, BIKE BURNED BEYOND ANY WAY TO DETERMINE A CAUSE. DANIEL BUENROSTRO 800-962-7926 EXT 7443 WAS THE YAMAHA REP TO INFORM ME THAT FIRE BURNED UNIT BEYOND ANY WAY TO DETERMINE CAUSE. BUENROSTRO NEXT SENTENCE WAS THE SHOCK I HAVE YET TO UNDERSTAND. I QUOTE "WE'VE FOUND NO DEFECTS". I QUESTIONED YAMAHA'S REASONING OF FINDINGS AND HOW THE COMMENTS CONTRADICT THEMSELVES. I'VE ASK FOR ISSUE TO BE PROGRESSED TO NEXT LEVEL WITHIN YAMAHA ORGANIZATION. I SEE THIS AS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT COULD TAKE LIVES. SEVERAL VOICE MESSAGES LEFT FOR WILLIAMS AND BUENROSTRO PLUS E-MAILS GO UNADDRESSED PER THIS DATE. I'VE REQUESTED COPIES OF YAMAHA'S INVESTIGATION RECORDS AND CONTACT INFORMATION TO PROGRESS THIS PROBLEM HIGHER IN YAMAHA MANAGEMENT. 6/12/06 STILL NO YAMAHA REPLY. I'M FILING THIS WITH THE HOPE YAMAHA WILL NOT HIDE A PROBLEM THIS SERIOUS. THE NEXT RIDER OF THEIR PRODUCT MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY. *JB