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Two plaintiffs have filed a class action lawsuit against Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, alleging that the company manufactured outboard boating motors with a defective aluminum coating that are susceptible to corrosion and premature engine failure.
Florida residents Clifton Mitchell and Keith Johnson filed the Yamaha boat motor class action lawsuit on July 22. They allege that Yamaha should have known about the motor defect and taken steps to provide a remedy for customers who were affected by it.
The proposed members of the Yamaha boat motor class action lawsuit include Florida residents who bought a model year 2000-05 Yamaha first-generation F-Series four-stroke outboard motor for their personal use. The plaintiffs claim that because Yamaha failed to fix the problem with the motor, the Class Members have been forced to either pay thousands of dollars to repair the defect or be stuck with a defective motor that they never would have purchased had they known about the flaw.
Mitchell and Johnson purchased boats with the Yamaha F-Series motors from a boat dealership in Pensacola, Florida. Both plaintiffs were informed about the motor corrosion after they had their boats inspected after approximately 650 hours of recreational use. It cost Mitchell approximately $7,000 to repair the motor, while Johnson experienced close to $3,800 in repair costs.
In their class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that there is either a design or manufacturing defect in the coating on the aluminum exhaust components. They claim that this coating allows hot gasses to corrode the exhaust passages, eventually creating holes in the passages that cause engine problems or failure.
The plaintiffs claim that the expected life of a motor made by a major manufacturer like Yamaha is several thousand hours of usage before failing or requiring significant repairs. According to the class action lawsuit, the affected Yamaha motors sometimes only 500 hours before failing.
The affected Yamaha motors came with a three-year warranty. However, because these motors are marketed for recreational use, most users only average about 100 hours of use per year. As a result, the warranty usually expires before the customer experiences problems with the motor. Because the affected components are within the dry exhaust system, the corrosion takes place within the fully enclosed engine housing and is not visible. Therefore, boaters are unaware that the damage exists until they experience engine problems.
The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit allege that standard engineering tests should have revealed the motor defect to Yamaha during the design or manufacturing stage of production. Despite receiving numerous complaints about the defect, Yamaha failed to take steps to fix the situation. While Yamaha has changed the coating and created a kit to repair the defect, the kit alone costs $650 and will cost thousands of dollars to implement, the class action lawsuit says. The plaintiffs claim that Yamaha did not notify its customers about the defect or issue any service bulletins or recalls. The class action lawsuit accuses Yamaha of negligence, product liability, and violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. The plaintiffs have requested a trial by jury.
The plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit are represented by Peter J. Mougey and James Kauffman of Levin Papantonio Thomas Mitchell Rafferty & Proctor PA, and by Steven R. Jaffe and Mark S. Fistos of Farmer Jaffe Weissing Edwards Fistos & Lehrman PL.
The Yamaha Boat Engine Coating Class Action Lawsuitis Mitchell, et al. v. Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, case number 3:13-cv-00417, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
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94 thoughts onClass Action Lawsuit Targets Yamaha Boat Motor Defect
Just changed the HB after only 200 hours. I noticed the whine over the years but did not think it was serious. The engine is much quieter now and probably saved my self a power head replacement. Now I need to check this corrosion issue. any recommended inspection procedures? I am very dissappointed Yamaha is not dealing with these issues in a responsible way
I lost $6000 on the sale of a boat because it had twin 2003 F225s. Had to compensate for the possibility of the exhaust corrosion issue. Everyone that made an offer brought up this concern. Lost resale value ude to a known manufacturing defect should be part of this lawsuit.
I would like to join a class against Yamaha I have exhaust problem with a f 150 and f6mllhb
I have twin 2003 Yamaha 225’s and would like to stay informed of the progress of this suite
Thanks
I would like to join a class against yaamaha
I have 2- 2006 Yamaha f150 engines and the starboard side sounds like a car running without a muffler. I’m pissed and will join lawsuit! Yamaha won’t do ” shit “
I have a 2003 Yamaha 225 4stroke may mechanic has informed me that my lower unit is falling apart due to corrosion. The motor has approx. 900 hrs. Been serviced yearly. Just recently started running rough overheating that’s when my mechanic discovered the exhaust is getting into the drive shaft chamber. We found pieces of metal. The cap over the water impeller melting. Put me down for the class action suit.
I have a 2003 Grady White with twin Yamaha F200 series engines (about 530 hours on each engine). The port side engine began stalling at idle speed (after running at least 30 minutes) about two months ago. The starboard engine now exhibits the same problem. My marine mechanic, who is Yamaha certified, ran diagnostics on both engines and could not generate any error codes. I spent another $900 for a full maintenance and tune up on both engines. Also removed and bypassed both fuel flow meters to eliminate any chance of fuel obstruction. Also had several conversations with the mechanic at the Florida dealership where I purchased the boat. He was no help at all and suggested that I bring the boat in for $100/hour diagnostic work. Both engines still stall out at idle speed when warm. My mechanic has been on the boat for times since the tune up and he is unable to diagnose the cause of the stalling. If we are not able to find the cause soon, I would consider being part of the class action against Yamaha.
the engines overheat at idle when the corrosion problem becomes acute. the replacement of the exhaust housings assuming the corrosion hasn t progressed into the heads is about $2200 per engine. if the corrosion is in the power head the engines are worthless.
I have a 2003 F200 that cost me $3500 to rebuild the rotted out midsection, had 600 hrs at rebuild time. This boat has been stored inside a shed on a trailer, not in a marina, Not impressed.
I have 2002 225hp with 450 hrs and just checked my exhaust and found they need replacement . Is there any place selling the parts cheap ? Or when is Yamaha going pay up for there defect ? I”ll be done with Yamaha if they don’t do something soon .
Just found out our corrosion issue in our 225 is all the way into the power head. The cost of repair is over $10,000… The motor is totaled. Is there anything we can do?