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On Dec. 12, a saddlebag defect class action lawsuit was filed against Polaris Industries Inc., a Minnesota-based ATV and vehicle manufacturer, alleging the company’s Victory motorcycles contain saddlebags with defective latches. This alleged Polaris saddlebag defect renders the motorcycle’s storage compartments functionally useless, contradicting Polaris’ marketing claim that their Victory bikes are “high-quality and durable,” according to the class action lawsuit.
Lead plaintiff Charles Harden alleges 15 different Victory motorcycle bike models have featured the defective lock mechanism since 2010. According to the Polaris saddlebag defect class action lawsuit, this defect causes the lid of the right-side saddlebag to fly open while riding, thus becoming a potential safety hazard for the Victory motorcycle riders and other drivers on the road. Harden has allegedly experienced this defect first hand, as he is an owner of a 2013 Victory Cross Country that he claims contains the saddlebag latch defect.
The Victory saddlebag latches are allegedly misaligned, which Harden claims causes the latches to wear down and eventually snap off. Additionally, Harden claims the cushions positioned next to the Polaris saddlebag lid is made from materials that are too soft materials that depress over time, which allegedly increases the latch misalignment.
“Because of these inherent design defects, the saddlebag latch mechanism will inevitably break regardless of how often the owner uses the saddlebag,” Harden alleges in the Polaris saddlebag defect class action lawsuit. “In fact, due to these design defects, the normal vibration from merely riding the motorcycle, in and of itself will cause the latch mechanism to fail, even if the owner never opens the latch or uses the saddlebag.”
Harden claims that the Polaris saddlebag defect cannot be easily fixed and requires owners of Victory motorcycles to buy and install a new ignition lock set. A complete ignition lock set, not including the cost of labor for installation, can run anywhere from $300 to $500, according to the saddlebag defect class action lawsuit.
However, even after paying for and installing a replacement lock set, consumers may experience the same latch problem, since the latch replacement parts are allegedly made from the same sub-standard materials as the original lock mechanism.
According to the Polaris saddlebag defect class action lawsuit, “Once a Victory motorcycle owner replaces the saddlebag latch mechanism, the replacement part will also begin to fail, leading to its eventual destruction.” Because the Polaris saddlebag defect is allegedly found in the original and replacement lock latch parts, Harden claims this creates an ongoing, cyclical problem for Polaris consumers.
The Polaris class action lawsuit lodges several allegations against the company, including claims of violations of the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act and strict liability. Harden is seeking to represent himself, as well as a Class of consumers that would include, “All persons who purchased a Victory motorcycle with saddlebags from model year 2010 to the present.” The Polaris saddlebag defect Class could potentially number in the thousands.
Harden is represented by Thomas A. Zimmerman, Adam M. Tamburelli and Matthew C. De Re of Zimmerman Law Offices PC.
The Polaris saddlebag defect class action lawsuit is Harden v. Polaris Industries Inc., et al., Case No. 14CH19954, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division.
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11 thoughts onPolaris hit with saddlebag defect class action lawsuit
If you feel the need to file suit over your saddlebag locking mechanism, you have no business riding a motorcycle… And you need to surrender your man card. Really? Class action? Shit like this is why the rest of the world HATES Americans.. We piss and whine about shit like this while some of the rest of the world struggle to feed themselves daily…. Sell your bike and go buy a new couch and big screen TV, you should not be out on the road on a motorcycle!
2012 Cross Country Tour and my right saddlebag latch is worn have way through. I just received the new saddlebag latch assembly and will be transferring tumbler mechanism. Then slightly elongate mounting holes on catch and move forward. Fixed. Part cost $20 and time to elongate holes…15 minutes. Tried to let Polaris know this…..didn’t seem interested.
Saddle bag lids fit poorly. I can put my finger between the lid and bag on any cross country. Lid vibrates all the time. Very poor quality control
I fixed mine today. Took me ten minutes and at no cost. It has nothing to do with the latch made out of cheap material. It is an alignment problem. I am not going to take my bike 100 miles for a simple problem.
I kind of agree with John above, but at the same token, someone needs to put Polaris in their place! Anyone that has the hard bags knows that there is a latch wear issue, a loose lid issue and a bags falling off the bike issue! The biggest problem is when calling or communicating with Polaris, not all riders are getting the same treatment! I hope this resolves that issue at a minimum!
REALLY? A class action suit? The only ones that benefit are the lawyers. Adjust the striker and go ride. It’s idiotic, frivolous suits like this that make everything so expensive. That way, the lawyers can buy overpriced bikes with YOUR money. Give it up, fools.
On my ’14, the latch just barely started to show wear. I realigned the hook pin, problem solved
Ken, you were the beneficiary of a nice person who knew about the problem cluing you in. Those of us who discovered this too late have a much bigger problem. And by the way, you don’t yet know if the problem is solved, though I do believe bending the wire should help. The fact is, Polaris knows about this and continues to do nothing about it!
Kinda like they know there clutch cable fail on several of there models and do nothing about it, Im just glad mine broke when I was at a stop light and not in heavy traffic. And I have seen wear on my latches.
I called I larisa in Sept 14 . MY 2014 CCT after 500 miles had wear . Polaris gave me a case number told me go to dealer. Dealer took pictures and submitted a claim , claim as approved by Polaris and 7 months later still being told part is back ordered . One day I’ll get a new latch
I’m not sure I agree with the lawsuit but definitely agree with the problem and the fact that Polaris is not fixing it. They have acknowledged it to me and have told me it will be fixed under warranty. My only problem is the closest dealer to me is over 110 miles away and it would probably take two trips — one to see the problem and order the parts and one to come back to have it fixed. One other problem is I don’t have a warm fuzzy the fix would be permanent — new lock mechanism is same design.