ATV Florida Forum

Ok, so I have my brand new Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4 AT.  The other night, I was in my garage working on the bike and cleaning it up.  When I was done, I was backing it out of my garage and turning it sharp to the right, slightly blurbing the throttle as to avoid hitting my truck.  All the sudden, I turned it harder to the right while giving it some gas, when BAM!!!! My THROTTLE hit the SHIFTER and floored my 4-wheeler into my TRUCK!!!!

Sunday when I was riding, I showed my friend Brett (yamaha660bsr) and asphaltdragon the way it hits, and I think that I may have a case against Suzuki!!

What do ya'll think?? Should they be required to pay for the damage and find a solution to this problem??

only if it happens on other machines will you have a case.

You know how japanese pronounce suzuki ???


SUE-SUK-E ;D

It might be worth a call to Suzuki. Not sure how much of a case you have because it wasnt a mechanical problem. Maybe a design flaw but the bike didnt malfunction and ram your truck. If nothing else give your dealer a call and see if anyone else has complained about the problem. If it's only you then odds are not in your favor.

Not being a wise guy by why didnt you just move the truck if it was that close? I have a bad feeling that Suzuki wont care what happened to your truck. :(

Good luck to you anyhow and let us know what comes of it. Other owners would be interested I'm sure!!

ha ha thats funny sue-suk-e i got one for ya

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no

second that (no)

if you sue what did you accomplish other than drive the prices up and make more peolpe say they are unsafe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!think about it ! do we need more bad publicity?

sue your parents for not teaching you  proper hand to eye coordination, leave suzuki out of it!!

Well, I'll try and remember that, then I guess I should sue you for telling me to watch the throttle and the shifter instead of watching where i was backing up.  Next time I back out of my driveway, let me make sure nothing interferes with teh gas pedal on my car instead of checking to see if traffic is coming.

Your comment makes absolutely no sense.  If Suzuki flawed their product, they need to fix it and compensate people for damages.

I jsut thank God it didn't happen when I was on a levee or by water or something where I could have lost the bike and/or been seriously hurt.

And its easy for the other guy to say "why do it when it just jacks up the price" when you don't have a huge dent in door because they might possibly have a flawed product.

MOMMA ALWAYS SAID... " Stupid is as stupid does"

wow. I can honestly say im pretty shocked at the reaction of some people on here.  I'm coming to you with a potentially dangerous situation where an engineering error has already cost me several hundred dollars in damage and could cause someone else down the road a lot more if this is potentially a problem facing ALL automatic Eigers.

Yamaha660bsr and asphaltdragon have both seen for themselves the problem with this throttle/shifter connection and how QUICKLY the bike rips off in reverse without the riders knowledge.

For people who are so anal about helmets being in pictures and what not, you sure are quick to jump a guys bone for a problem with the bike, not the rider.

I bet those of you FOR Suzuki in this situation supported Ford covering up the explosive gas tanks in the pinto's in the 70's, because hey, it saves us some money  :rolleyes:

Do I have a case against Suzuki???

i appolagize if you feel that way but the above says to me that you want to SUE SUZUKI not HELP SUZUKI FIX A DESIGN PROBLEM! i never doubted that it is a design problem, i just felt that by your choice of words you were looking to get a quick buck!

i say you contact them and explain the situation and they might work with you  but to go in blazing with a laywer would just be down right wrong!

I remember a very reliable source telling me not long ago, that Suzuki has a problem with the throttle cables on some models that need to be tie-wrapped out of reach because they do just that.

now, as for suing,,,,give it up, it aint going anywhere.

Id@

My grandpa has an 03 suzuki eiger and it does the same damn thing. It has actually caused me to flip, on several occasions. The most recent flip happened about a week ago, I was trying to climb a msmall hill, but couldnt make it. So I started backing down, and about half way down the left front tire caught a root and snatched the bars to the right, and I grabbed the brakes. When that happened the throttle hit the Hi-lo-reverse lever, and went wot, which whipped the rear end right around and caused it to roll. On a different atv it wouldnt have happened, because even if the bars cut, when you grab the brakes it would have stopped.

Btw: I have never flipped or rolled any other atv, but I have rolled this one 7 times now.

Should of bought a Honda

like Dreth said, call them and see if they'll work with you.  But you run the risk of running up some serious attorney fees if you take them to court and lose.  I'd bet it would be a lot cheaper to just fix the damage to your truck.  
Actually, I'd just leave the damage there...chances are that some woman driver will just back into you at the grocery store or something!  ;D ;D [smiley=Shocked.gif]

I would talk to a lawyer about this after you find at least one other person having the same issue. Also check online for other people having this issue and see if there already is a class action lawsuit in place.

Also you may want to cut down on the drinking before you get on your quad :)

Question...have you ever adjusted the throttle to be more comfortable? or your handle bars?
I know I do.
The same thing also happened on my Lakota while Jeff was backing it up.  But he is a big guy and the throttle hit his leg.

Lets rename this site ATV DRAMA!!!!

LOL :)

Ok, im sorry, I don't intend on suing suzuki.  I do plan on trying to work WITH them first to fix the problem and then if they refuse, taking it further.

Obviously someone else is having the problem because Kris Moore said he's flipped his several times because of this.  Good thing he was never seriously injured.

Anyways, thats two...anyone else have this problem?

And no, my throttle has not been adjusted or hte handlebars.  I just pulled the screw back so that it could run more throttle, but that doesn't adjust the design at all.

Ok, im sorry, I don't intend on suing suzuki.  I do plan on trying to work WITH them first to fix the problem and then if they refuse, taking it further.

im sorry too, if my words were mistaken! good luck and how much damage was done to your truck? in dollars.

i'm not sure how much damage yet but it will definetly need a new door...that ding is nasty!  its about 8 inches long and 1/2 an inch deep...imagine running your hunting racks right into the door at full throttle with about 5-8ft to speed up and hit it...

ouch!

Sounds to me like a dealer setup issue. The atv comes with the handlebars off in the box & the dealer puts them on. The dealer should have turned the bars in all directions & tested the atv before it was delivered to you after the sale. The other thing that comes to mind is, you say you went 6-8ft at full speed before making impact ??? Why didnt you just hit the freaking brakes? I will make a wager with anyone here that Suzuki says "You should have been more careful in a tight surrounding & hit the brakes"!!! It sucks when you make a boo-boo, but man up & accept that you did this not Suzuki.  You stated you turned the bars "harder to the right", my question would be to you as legal council for Suzuki, "Mr Eiger, at what point did you lose sight of the bars & the throttle lever when you turned hard to the right in you garage next to your truck in a very tight surrounding?" (case closed)My last suggestion would be to raise or lower the bars & check the location with the motor turned OFF. If the bars can NOT be raised or lowered to accomodate for this then you have an issue & the atv should have a steering limiter to stop this from happening or a relocated shifter. Good luck either way. Next time dont start out with the "case against Suzuki" part & I am sure people will not take it so hard, it looks like you are a sue happy type. BTW I am not a lawyer, but I do say at holiday Inns a lot. ;)

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"The other thing that comes to mind is, you say you went 6-8ft at full speed before making impact  Why didnt you just hit the freaking brakes? "

Good Question. ???

6 or 8 feet can go by real quick at full throttle , from the sound of it even if he hit the brakes he could have still hit the truck . It is easy to look back and say you could have done this or that but we all know how quickly accidents happen .I'm just sorry to hear about your problem , write Suzuki a letter and see how they handle it .Keep us informed . If they handle it good we can all say GO SUZUKI ...if they handle it poorly we can all say GO SOMEBODYELSE.

OK first off He never said he was going to SUE suzuki he asked if he had a case. If you call and complain about anything they will give you a case number or some sort of identification on how to get back with them regaurding the matter, Second off everyone on here is soo quick to judge everyone else and what they have done or what could have been done. Not everyone is as perfect as some of you on here. No matter what the post is about there are always some smart A$$ comments about the post. Why not just read them and try to understand what is getting said before you jump to conclusions. As for suzuki I'd call and see what they say or check out the recall center on NHTSA.com I think it is and they have reported problems with any motor vehicle.   Good luck~!

Yeh I agree, He was just wanting opinions on what he should do. He didn't plan on sueing suzuki for all there worth, And "lets change the site to atv drama" I feel if someone has A problem it's Good for them to post about it on Atvflorida.Espicially since most of the people on here are good people and wont give smart as$ comments or  give the person A hard time, But it seems like that is changing..

No problems with my Eiger, sounds like the person operating it shouldn't be.

Good call.  Maybe it is the dealers fault??? This would possibly explain the other guy who hasn't had problems with his eiger and also explain the guy who also HAS had problems with his...



First of all, in the distance of 6-8ft (at OPEN throttle in REVERSE , which has more tq than any forward gear i believe), you have to ask yourself these questions:  1) why is the four-wheeler gunning in reverse?  2)  how much of that 6-8 ft did I already cover when I was turning the four wheeler just a little bit to try and get out BEFORE i turned it hard?  I didn't just TURN it all the way and reverse....I hit the gas AS I turned.

Also, the eiger has disc brakes up front and a drum in the rear and the eigers brakes SUCK.  NO WAY that thing is stopping, once in motion, with the throttle at half, none-the-less full.  And in 6-8ft, I'm not oging to diagnose the throttle as hitting the lever.  The shifter hits the base of the throttle, so it doesn't take much for it to be "full throttle" because the travel distance is less the closer it gets to the base.

So how long does that 6-8 ft look now??



So you look at your throttle everytime you back up?? sh*t man, I'd MUCH rather be looking behind me at WHERE I'm going.  When you back your car out of the driveway, do you watch the steering wheel and the gas pedal or whats behind you?  <case closed>  phhhbt.

and 6-8 ft from my truck is not "close" surroundings".  If the throttle didn't hit, I would have gotten out NO PROBLEM.

Trying to get sympathy on this site to sue a manufacturer so they can raise prices on the sport we love is what is nuts.

I've been driving lawnmowers since I was 4 (and i'm talking John Deere F-911 with 72" decks and 0 degree Dixie Choppers with 60" decks), gokarts since i was 6, dirt bikes since i was 10 and ATVs since I was 16.  I'm 21 now.

I've had two accidents that whole time...I drove a tractor a little bit into a lake because I didn't realize how slick the ground was.  I quickly tied a rope to the chassis and a tree to keep it from going all teh way in...quick thinking.  And the other time, I flipped a go-kart because my dog started chasing me and and I was about to run him over.  Much rather would have flipped it and sprained my ankle with a few cuts than hit my dog and posisbly hurt him.

Other than that, no accidents.  I think I'm qualified to drive an ATV.

I think you are qualified too, but sue the dealer that put the quad together. Suing Suzuki, weather you win or not just screws all of us.

Drama....Drama....Drama....  Dosen't anyone ride anymore [smiley=banghead.gif]  [smiley=baby.gif]

Well, i'd really rather not sue ANYONE...i'd really rather just have them offer to pay for the damage to my truck because that would be the right thing to do since its apparently the dealers fault.

oh well, we'll see.

[/color] No what's nuts is you bustin his chops about something that he was trying to get an honest opinion about. He never said he was going to SUE anyone. I have seen posts on here with anything from "Chevy or Ford" to "Going to a spa" No offense Chuck  ;D But when it comes to a serious problem with a quad you make out like it's his fault. You know manufacturers aren't perfect and I bet my Quad your not either. Everyone makes mistakes but wonder if it was a defect? Wonder if there is a kid(16) on one and it does it but instead of hitting a truck it takes him in the road? You gonna blame the kid or the company? Only takes one person getting hurt or even killed from it before you blame the company. Or are you like many others I know Blame whoever it happened to until it's you that it happens to then it's the company's fault.

Thank you very much!  That was my point all along...Suzuki should be so lucky that it only hit and dinged my truck up (pretty bad) and hasn't hurt the other guy that's flipped his due to this defect.

People want to jump to conclusions and just assume that the manufacturer or corporation is always perfect and its user fault.

And I admit, I used to be one of them.  For example, I always used to ridicule the lady that sued McDonalds for spilling her coffee in her lap.  Now, should the coffee have been in her lap?  Nah, probably not, but the lid should have been on correct for one, but for two, and the part of the case that MOST people don't know is that McDonalds is required to serve their coffee at a certain temperature (I THINK its 140 degrees) because at that temperature, your skin would have to be exposed for like 6 or 7 seconds before it would cause any serious burns.  Now, what McDonalds was doing was serving their coffee at something like 270 degrees in order to keep it "Fresh" !!!!  At that temperature, it takes something like 2 seconds before it causes serve burns.

Now, I'm not saying that that lady was smart for putting it in her lap, but the bottom line is McDonalds broke a rule to cut a corner and now they have to pay.

Same with Ford and the pinto with the exploding gas tank.  They tried to cut a corner and they had to pay.

And it appears as though Suzuki (or my dealership) may have the same problem.  They should just consider themselves lucky that they didn't end up with a serious injury or wrongful death case.


Now, on a side note, how about the idiot that got a couple million because he wrecked his winnebago because he thought cruise control was autopilot and he got up and made breakfast on the highway???

All this [smiley=angry2.gif] [smiley=Angry.gif]

Need more  [smiley=drink.gif] [smiley=Wacko.gif] [smiley=Confused.gif] [smiley=Smile.gif]

lol its all in good fun.  I'm not even that pissed about my truck...I'm very thankful it didn't do more damage to the truck or myself though.  I can live with a 6" gash in my door (but my point is i shouldn't have to...it shouldn't be there!) :)

have a cold one on me! ;)  [smiley=drink.gif]

So pretty much what your saying is if your kid(s) were on a bike and the throttle went wide open just because they turned the handlebars it would be their fault! Your so full of BS that your over flowing. I know I'm a smartazz and I'm glad to be I speak my mind and I know alot of people on here do, but when something happens and you CAN'T control it or better yet I'll stop myself and ask this.... Why do YOU think SUZUKI and EVERYOTHER quad that has Reverse has it on there? TO USE IT!!! Why push the quad if you have enough space to RIDE it out? Suck it up and ride it?? That's what he was TRYING to do.  :o I don't know about you but if I had reverse on my Blaster I think I would use it. [smiley=Wacko.gif] And for the "RESPONSIBLY KNOWING YOUR EQUIPMENT & SURROUNDINGS!" How was he to know that it was going to do that? I don't think he's Psychic and he was watching his surroundings (trying not to back into them!) I think personally that you must be perfect and you don't need safety gear b/c you never wreck and you never have any accidents.

Again....

Is this guy FOR REAL??? You must be the stupidest son of a pregnant dog I've ever heard!  Its MY FAULT that there is something that interferes with teh throttle on my four-wheeler????  WOW.  And I WAS being careful. I had 6-8 ft BETWEEN ME AND MY TRUCK.  I was VERY WELL CLEAR of my truck.  Like I said earlier, and you still haven't answered me, when you back out of a driveway in your car (if you're even old enough to drive and with  bone-headed comments like yours, you probably aren't), do you watch whats BEHIND you or do you watch the gas pedal???  When You're backing OUT of a spot and there's a car behind you, do you get out and PUSH your car? Because, hell, your gas pedal could get stuck and you could RAM into the car behind you!

You are pretty thick-headed.

And I highly, highly, highly doubt you back up your fourwheeler and keep your eyes glued to the throttle.

operater error  read the warning labels no one under 16 (even if your aged 45 with a lil kid in u ) sory about the damage

Hey SoFlaEiger best thing to do with these guys is wait till it happens to them. Like I said before it didn't happen to them so they are going to pin it on you when it does happen to them it will be everyone elses fault but theres. Atleast you have a reason it happened to you. And it's not just on the Eiger it happens on alot of quads but with yours being new I'd see what they have to say. What can it hurt to ask? It's smart people like the ones making rude comments that are giving ATVr's a bad name not the ones who have a problem with the manufacturer. They think they don't have to follow the rules and that they know everything about everyone.

lol...i'm 21...definetly past my 16 year old mentality when it comes to four-wheelin! :)

well, it'd be wrong to stereotype everyone into that category when its just one bone-head that i can think off...maybe a couple others.  The majority just don't want any suit against suzuki because then prices go up lol

I say sue them.

I got your back.

We'll split it. ;)

lol  lets do it hehe

true, but look at it this way if prices go up maybe you'll have a quad worth riding that you know will be right b/c someone told them about the problem. lol but then again I don't have a suzuki so wouldn't bother me if their prices went up anyway!  ;D

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I cant bieleive it! I keep checking back and its still going.

lol at the last two posts...ya, its still going.  apparently there's people here that keep their eyes glued to the throttle when backing up instead of whats behind them.  and 6-8ft isnt enough distance to back up safely when the throttle is functioning properly (as it more than certainly should be on a bike thats just over a month old).

throw me some popcorn!!

This is NOT KawGirl, this is Shortcut, and I have a question. Does anyone check there equipment out for safety anymore, familiarizing yourself with the freedom of movement of levers and cables, positioning of handle bars, oil and coolant level ?

So many unfortunate mishaps could be avoided with the observance of this practice, especially with new vehicles. Anyone that's been to a dealership has seen the young people they have in the back putting your new toy together. You can't count on them to take the time to do it right, even though you paid "dealer prep". We personally know three people that have eigers that don't have this problem.

If the handlebars had been in the proper position this most likely wouldn't have happened, had you taken the time to check the quad over prior to riding it in the very beginning, this incident would have never happened.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do, I would look to the dealer as a source of compensation.

Hey Mike, check them lug nuts lately  ;D

smart ass  ;D

I can relate..... [smiley=laugh.gif] [smiley=laugh.gif]



Hey Kawgirl,
 Where do you get the popcorn guy? My top secret master smiley site doesnt have that one . you know how many times I could've used it...LOL

I do usually check stuff out.  I check oil levels, tire pressure, look over the suspension briefly and the brakes, but not the clearance of the throttle. I mean, thats like a given that it should be clear.  Who checks the gas pedal on a car? or a new tractor? or a motorcycle?  not many.

I will most likely go after the dealer.

the three eigers you speak of...manauls or automatics?

You keep comparing the thumb throttle to the gas pedal on a car. When a car or truck comes from the factory it is fully assembled, when they ship a quad or motorcycle the dealer has to install the handle bars among other things. So to assume that a minimum wage kid in the shop is installing them properly is not the smartest move. This is not a design flaw, go after the dealer or GET OVER IT.

That dealer would be buying me a new bike and fixing my truck.

This sounds like a job for the A-Team.

that explains EVERYTHING.

 [smiley=drink.gif]

 [smiley=drink.gif]

I have a new 05 Eiger. The throttle doesn't come close to the shift lever when I turn the bars all the way to the right. The dealer who set up your quad screwed up. You really need to speak to him.
Kurt

So far, almost every eiger owner on this thread has said that their throttle does not come close to the shifter. As I told you before, it is a dealer setup issue. You then went postal & so did your ally armpit. So since I was bashed by you so hard, it all comes full circle & the info I gave you in the first post was TRUE!! The main problem here is you say it is one month old, if this is true, then it is clearly YOUR fault! You said you check out your equipment before using it. Well I guess you missed that one. Also when the shifter hit the throttle & pushed it wide open, did it smash your thumb, maybe you could get some pain & suffering reimbursement also. ::)You keep saying 6-8 ft is plenty of room for moving the quad around next to your truck. Considering the eiger is at least 6ft long, that leaves at most 2' for error. I am still waiting to hear the honest answer from the dealer or suzuki. You started this rediculous post on March 29,  it is now April 13, when are you gonna take action with the dealer or Suzuki and inform us on the outcome??? The way I see it, you are a forum troll trying to stir up drama & arguments. I beleive you are too embarrased to go to the dealer & tell your story, I know I would be. I would write the check & fix my truck if I ran into it but that is just me, I have a knack for taking responsibility for my actions, unlike you trying to force someone to pay for your misjudgement. BTW, SoFlEiger could you start using spell check.

I thought this post was dead. I guess you just revived it KFXHead.

After all the bickering I just want to see if they pay for his mistake. Actually someone else posted to it to bring it back to the top. If you notice I removed all my previous posts last week as to stop the arguing, but some people on here continued to throw insults so I am back. ;D

The process has already begun as of last Thursday.  I filled out some form and they looked over the bike and are taking responsibility.  There has been two owners who said they haven't had a problem and two who said they have.  Manuals don't have this problem because there is no shifter.

Forum troll eh?  You're a moron.  Yes, a moron.  And come on down from Dover and I'll say it to your face (since you said earlier I would never say half of this to someone's face).  Better yet, look for me at MS&G.  I'll be in a Blue F-250 with an enclosed trailer and a ton of pallets.  Ask for Brian and I'll tell you what I think about your thick-headed arguments.

Oh and by the way, its 6-8ft BEHIND the bike, not INCLUDING the bike  ::)

So, see you at MS&G or sometime in the future and I'll give you my piece of mind.  Other than that, welcome to my ignore list.  I don't have time for idiotic boneheads such as yourself.

On arctic Cats the bars are all ready to go when you un crate it , dont know about zukes. He showed me the way it hits and it definately hits , but only if you give it a small amount of throttle . ???

That's cool KFXhead. I have to say some of your replies made me LMFAO :D

Hey JD, the Asst Manager at the dealership said that it was probably their adjustment that did it.  I filled out the papers and he said I should go get an estimate for the damage.  He made me back my truck up to the bike as if it had just happened to take pictures to make sure it was the bike.  Next I guess the papers go to the manager or insurance company? I don't know.

I also showed TRX350, asphalt dragon, yamaha660bsr, muddygirl and her man, and a few others and they all have basically said its crazy how dangerous this problem could be!

SoFlIgnorant, I am a man, not a snot nose 21yr old punk loudmouth like yourself. I would love to meet you especially since I have your feeble threats in black & white. I dont even know what Ms&g is or where it is. You insult people who dont agree with your frivolous cause & expect us to like it. You are truly ignorant & you hit your truck, I cant beleive the dealer caved in, show proof in writing by scanning it to a pic. I guess the old cliche holds true about "the squeaky wheel gets greased". Are you upset because I disagree with you or the fact that I pointed out your stupidity & lack of patience. You sound like a chickensh*t little boy to me by making threats on a public forum. I never threatened you or anybody else for that matter. One day we will meet & you can take your best shot, then I WILL have a case & a POS eiger, dented truck & whatever else you own dumb*ss. If you cant take criticism, dont open your d*cksucker on a forum. You asked for our opinions & you couldnt handle it. As I said before just go ride!!!

Does anyone else see threats in my message? Simply telling you that i'd call you a moron to your face.  Now, dicksucker definetly falls under sexual harassment if you want to get technical.  And you deleted all your posts otherwise I would be able to quote your INSULTS.  You also told me that I wouldn't have the balls to tell you to your face what I think and that I can only do it through a computer.  Well, I'd be more than happy to tell you to your face.  Thats all.  And for a grown, mature man, you sure through around insults and foul language like a child.

I've seen the bike. It's definitley not working right when turning. Dealer needs to fix. If it was a Honda we wouldn't even be having this post  ;D jk.