NHTSA Complaint #10532130 — 2007 YAMAHA XF50

I PURCHASED MY YAMAHA C3 SCOOTER IN MAY 2007 AND IT OPERATED FLAWLESSLY UNTIL THIS SUMMER. IN HOT HUMID CONDITIONS THE SCOOTER STALLED-OUT OR WOULD NOT START. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE SUMMER BLEND OF FUEL, BUT THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT HAD RUN FINE IN THE SAME CONDITIONS THE PREVIOUS FIVE SUMMERS. THE SCOOTER'S MALFUNCTION WOULD CAUSE THE IT TO QUIT RUNNING WHILE IN THE MIDST OF TRAFFIC WHICH CAUSED POTENTIAL RISKS OF BEING STRUCK. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROADWAY THE SCOOTER CAUSED A RISK TO OTHER MOTORISTS SINCE IT WOULD NOT RESTART FOR SEVERAL HOURS. I TOOK THE MACHINE TO A YAMAHA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. YAMAHA TECHNICAL SERVICES ADVISED THE DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE FUEL PUMP. APPARENTLY SOME PART EXPANDS WITH HEAT AND HUMIDITY WHICH THEN PREVENTS FUEL FROM FLOWING FREELY. OTHER C3S THE DEALER HAD WORKED ON HAD THE SAME COMPLAINT. I SPOKE TO YAMAHA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY GRUDGINGLY ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS AN ISSUE AND VACILLATED BETWEEN PLACING THE BLAME ON THEIR FUEL PUMP OR BLAMING IT ON THE SUMMER FORMULATION FOR GASOLINE. THEY DID NOT RELATE THEIR TRACK-RECORD FOR COMPLAINTS BUT I HAVE SINCE, THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH (FOR WHATEVER VALUE THERE IS) AND LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I THINK THIS IS IRRESPONSIBLE ON THE PART OF YAMAHA TO PUT THEIR RIDERS IN A SITUATION THAT COULD POSE PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS. I SPOKE TO A SERVICE MANAGER OF A YAMAHA DEALER IN A NEARBY METROPOLITAN AREA AND THEY REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE C3 SCOOTER. THEY INDICATED THAT A SIMILAR YAMAHA SCOOTER HAS HAD A FACTORY-ORDERED RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMPS. I VERY CONCERNED AND DISTURBED THAT YAMAHA IS NOT WILLING TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS TO CORRECT A MANUFACTURER'S FAILING TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY. *TR