Thanks for the good wishes, I do plan on riding again. I don't what to make any accusations but I am having a hard time believing this was my fault. I will go to my dealer and hopefully Kawasaki will fix it under my extended warranty.

 

On my old warrior i sheard a few after market axles. and a couple times it was like How the &^%( did that happen. sometimes when they machine the splines on the axles somthing goes alouff. im no metalurgist so i dunno whats goin down.

 

Went to the dealer today, not to encouraging from what he said. He is contacting his Kawasaki rep and asking if they will cover the repair. The dealer doesn't think they will. Now I'm begining to get mad. My axle broke apart. It did not bend, or twist, it broke causing me to crash and break my leg. Not to mention all of the cosmetic damage to the rest of the bike. I just want them to fix the failed axle, which I have the "GOOD TIMES PROTECTION PLAN" encase something like this were to happen. I'm not trying to get anything but a repair on a 2005 ATV that is under warranty.

 

I can believe this could happen, my father-in-laws axle sheered off about 20 feet in front of me going about 15mph going over a little hump in the trail about 10 inches tall. Hope you get well soon man.

 

DJW..can you please send me a picture to lil_hodgson_101@hotmail.com

im just curious to see what happend becasue i have a friend with the same quad

Thanks.

 

do yourself a favor and call a lawyer while you are still layed up. kawasaki will try their best to say that this was your fault and make you pay to replace the axle because if they replace it they are admiting guilt and they WILL NOT do that. do it while your bones are still broke so you have sympathy on your side. you dont even have to sue for some large pain and suffering case just lostwages, medical bills, repairs cosmetic and mechanical, and lawyer fees. it is their resposibility to make safe vehicles and if yours broke as easy as you say it did then there isnt a lawyer within 100 miles of you who wouldnt take your case. just remember being reasonable with your demands makes a fast easy out of court settlement much more likely.

 

I agree with the Bruteforcenator, and be sure to hang onto that broken axle. If the dealer gets ahold of it your evidence is gone. I'm curious, where it broke next to that coller, was that a sharp, square cut or was there a small radius in that corner. Could be it was not machined properly. I once had a crankshaft break in an engine because they did not radius the inside corner on a rod throw.

 

DJW, I agree with the guys advising you to contact an attorney ASAP. If it is a manufacturing defect Kawi is responsible. Contact a good personal injury attorney. All of them that I know work on a percentage basis. They charge you nothing up front. You give them a percentage of your settlement when you win. If you don't win you don't pay. If you don't have a good case they will tell you,and not waste their time or yours. Get some quality pictures, make notes on what, when, why, who etc. while it is fresh in your mind. Have any witnesses do the same. Copies of medical records including expenses such as mileage might be helpful. If you have your stuff together they will be much more willing to settle than if you don't. Good luck, and get better soon, Brute Boy 299

 

Thanks to all for the advice. I am not looking to sue anyone or to be paid for an injury. When I go riding I know there is the chance that I could be hurt. That is a risk we should all assume when we buy these machines. On the other hand, when the consumer pays for a warranty on a product, the admission of guilt should not determine if a part is covered or not. I paid for the warranty to protect myself from a large repair bill if something should break. It is a sad state of affairs that I will have to hire a lawyer to receive a service that I already paid for.

 

Well it has been awhile but Kawasaki has agreed to fix my axle. We sent them one half of the broken axle for examination and they came back and said they would replace it "out of good faith". Good faith my ***, there was a problem with the metal, but anyway, they are fixing it and that was what I expected of them.