NHTSA COMPLAINTS

[ABN350F]

Ok the Class action suit was just for discussion -- but could be revisited should more incidents as below happen if related to the DPS issue. However, there has been no further information relating to this crash. A question, when DPS failure occurs is there a log of the incident in the DPS or is there a way to determine if the DPS failed a a certain point in time. If there is, then shouldnt the DPS be pulled from the Spyder involved in this accident and sent to BRP, NHTSA an independent tester.



Former educator dies in motorcycle crash





Jan Ivie, former educator at Corsicana high School, died Sunday after her three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder veered off FM 744 in a motorcycle accident.

Ivie was among a group of other motorcycles, according to a Department of Public Safety report, when she failed to navigate her bike around a corner about 5.6 miles west of Corsicana. Ivie’s head struck a tree, and she was pronounced dead at Navarro Regional.

 

[Firefly]

What the heck is a " 'possible' actual accidents "????

BRP admitted to 3 seperate incidents with injuries last May, almost a year ago. Do you really believe they all stopped after that? I don't.......

And what is "maintaining control"?

Does that mean keeping your intended course exactly as planned? Or does it mean not getting in an accident?????Many accounts I've read clearly stated the operator was fortunate to avoid an accident as they experienced an out-of-lane excursion......

That would not be considered "maintaining control" in most people's opinions.....

Can't help but wonder, why are you so insistent on minimizing the experiences of other SpyderLovers, and portraying the possible consequences of a DPS failure as being so trivial?????:dontknow: Just doesn't make sense.....

One could ask the same about you--- why are you so insistent on bashing BRP every chance you get? Just today you've put a scare into two new or soon to be owners.

Making them aware and giving the impression that the Spyder is a 'death trap' are very different things. You obviously prefer giving the latter impression, even tho it's far from the truth.

Thanks for catching my typo btw--- geesh.:chill:

Incidents are different that accidents are they not? I've had 'incidents' that involved my steering not working properly--- but I didn't have an 'accident'.

Maybe we should be using the word CRASH. How many CRASHES do we know of that were caused by DPS failure? 1 'probable' crash (as in it most likely WAS DPS related). The other 2 mentioned 'injuries' during incidents we don't know about, other than a mention of bruised wrists or something - was that do to a 'crash' or just trying to control the Spyder?

Either way it's a small amount out of the thousands of Spyders on the road.

 

[ABN350F]

I have sent a email to the editor of the Corsicana newspaper to see if there has been any additional information regarding the fatal crash -- will keep all posted

 

[NancysToy]

Ok the Class action suit was just for discussion -- but could be revisited should more incidents as below happen if related to the DPS issue. However, there has been no further information relating to this crash. A question, when DPS failure occurs is there a log of the incident in the DPS or is there a way to determine if the DPS failed a a certain point in time. If there is, then shouldnt the DPS be pulled from the Spyder involved in this accident and sent to BRP, NHTSA an independent tester.

If there is a "Check DPS" warning on the cluster, it will probably record a fault code that can be retrieved by BUDS (or manually at the console, if it is still active). I do not believe these are time/date coded, only recorded as "occurred" or "active". According to the reports submitted here, many of the incidents do not result in a warning on the cluster. These probably would not record any failure code. How to respond to the failure code depends on the problem indicated. Some faults require replacement of the DPS unit, others require repalcement or recalibration of sensors, and some are related to the battery voltage, and may be battery or charging system related. There is no one, firm answer. That is what technicians and fault codes are for. The lack of a single known failure may be what is creating such difficulty for the BRP engineers in coming up with a cause and solution. My guess is that there are several possible issues, all with similar results and symptoms. Some may not have left any telltale tracks. Sometimes going after these things is like chasing a down feather in a snowstorm.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Just having the "check DPS" flash on the dash should be considered an "incident" because it is a warning that something is out of wack. If all systems were functioning properly chances are their would be no message displayed on th dash.

This is an interesting thought. Just the other morning my wife started her Spyder and the VSS light was on and Check DPS scrolled across the dash. I had her shut it off and remove the key for 5 minutes. She then started it back up with no problems at all. We put over 100 miles on our Spyders that day with no steering problems whatsoever.

So, why in the world would I contact the NHTSA to report such a thing as that? :dontknow:

I am also wondering if you ever took your Spyder to a dealer to try letting them fix it? From what I can remember about your posts, you refused to take it to a dealer until BRP told you they had a concrete fix for the problem, and you did not want to leave it sitting on their dusty lot while they attempted to fix it. Instead, you ended up selling it to a dealer that is going to try to ship it to a different country where they are going to attempt to reverse engineer it and make a new vehicle that you may be perfectly happy with.

This is not meant to bash you or flame you in anyway. I am just trying to figure out where all of your negative posts and opinions on what everyone else should do with their Spyder are coming from? :dontknow:

 

[dave01]

I never had the check DPS on the screen. I just had the "out of 2 lane excursion, 3 times in a row" and 3 more lock-ups within a 20 mile ryde. Then 2 more lock-ups on the way home. The buds showed nothing out of the ordinary. Thats what is making it hard for the technicians to diagnose. Not all of the cases have been the same. Some get clicking with the lock-up, some get the" wont turn without a lot of force", some, like me got both, and the twitching from right to left.

 

[bone crusher]

And, of course, this is exactly what the class action, ambulance chasing sharks are hoping for.

No offense intended to any attorneys here, I was married to one for 22 years... but class action abuse is the scourge of the US judicial system - making fortunes for the law firms and a pittance for deserving members of the class.

:agree:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I think that Way2Fast's post is meant to be taken in context with the post he quoted along with it.....Sounds different if taken alone.......

That makes sense as well.

I know curiosity may kill me, but like a cat I am still curious about the other questions I posed to him.

 

[bone crusher]

I have sent a email to the editor of the Corsicana newspaper to see if there has been any additional information regarding the fatal crash -- will keep all posted

It's unlikely they'll ever know and one cannot speculate.

 

[bikeguy]

Some faults require replacement of the DPS unit, others require repalcement or recalibration of sensors, and some are related to the battery voltage, and may be battery or charging system related.

I'm following this thread with a lot of interest although I'm still waiting for my Spyder RT to arrive so my opinion isn't worth much. But this point that Scotty made really got me to thinking. Digital systems are very sensitive to voltage levels. The actual voltages used in the processors and circuitry themselves are usually quite low so even a tenth of a volt can make a huge difference. It would be interesting to know the condition of the battery/battery connections/charging sytem when some of the DPS failures occurred.

I have seen the instrument panel on my Ford Excursion go nuts because of low voltage when it's two batteries still had sufficient charge to start a 7.3 liter diesel engine. It's not much of a stretch to imagine that low voltages could cause the Spyder's DPS and related electronics to do weird things especially since the Spyder has a relatively anemic charging system.

Cotton

 

[Way2Fast]

This is an interesting thought. Just the other morning my wife started her Spyder and the VSS light was on and Check DPS scrolled across the dash. I had her shut it off and remove the key for 5 minutes. She then started it back up with no problems at all. We put over 100 miles on our Spyders that day with no steering problems whatsoever.

So, why in the world would I contact the NHTSA to report such a thing as that? :dontknow:

I am also wondering if you ever took your Spyder to a dealer to try letting them fix it? From what I can remember about your posts, you refused to take it to a dealer until BRP told you they had a concrete fix for the problem, and you did not want to leave it sitting on their dusty lot while they attempted to fix it. Instead, you ended up selling it to a dealer that is going to try to ship it to a different country where they are going to attempt to reverse engineer it and make a new vehicle that you may be perfectly happy with.

This is not meant to bash you or flame you in anyway. I am just trying to figure out where all of your negative posts and opinions on what everyone else should do with their Spyder are coming from? :dontknow:

Where do I get my opinions ?? I don't see where you are coming from?? I did choose to not take it to my dealer for evaluation because like I said before, I didn't want my bike left standing in a dirt lot waiting for experimental surgery. I didn't feel comfortable riding it since the problems occurred so I parked it in my garage. Almost a year later my dealer told me he still never heard of any steering problems. This is not someone who would seem qualified to even do an oil change, much less fix an "unheard of" steering issue. My plan was to sit tight and wait for BRP to address the issue with positive results. After reading about so many steering issues AFTER repairs with no end in sight, I decided to bail. I never told anyone else what they should do with their Spyders other than to report any problems to the NHTSA. I believe my negativity regarding BRP is well founded. That is my opinion, you are entitled to yours !

 

[Way2Fast]

I think that Way2Fast's post is meant to be taken in context with the post he quoted along with it.....Sounds different if taken alone.......

You hit the nail on the head..... The whole story needs to me read, not just the ending.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Where do I get my opinions ?? I don't see where you are coming from?? I did choose to not take it to my dealer for evaluation because like I said before, I didn't want my bike left standing in a dirt lot waiting for experimental surgery. I didn't feel comfortable riding it since the problems occurred so I parked it in my garage. Almost a year later my dealer told me he still never heard of any steering problems. This is not someone who would seem qualified to even do an oil change, much less fix an "unheard of" steering issue. My plan was to sit tight and wait for BRP to address the issue with positive results. After reading about so many steering issues AFTER repairs with no end in sight, I decided to bail. I never told anyone else what they should do with their Spyders other than to report any problems to the NHTSA. I believe my negativity regarding BRP is well founded. That is my opinion, you are entitled to yours !

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

[aubierules]

Yes that is correct---But, look at TOYOTA; An extremely small percentage of reports relative to the millions sold. It only takes one though to kill you.nojoke

:agree: