Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
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.
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
©2008 – 2024 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
94 thoughts onClass Action Lawsuit Targets Yamaha Boat Motor Defect
I have a 2002 Yamaha 225 I just found the top part rotted through and leaking water
I have twin 2004 225 hp. Port engine has rot on the top of the engine block squirting water. Also both engines show evidence of exhaust rot.
I own two 2005 F250 with leaking exhaust ports due to internal corrosion. The engine are under 600 hrs. Looking now to get replaced. Estimates over $10K.
Me too
I have twin 2003 Yamaha 225s and same issue with less than 700 hours usage. What do you do. Yamaha just won’t stand behind their products with a known issue.
I have a 2005 F150 Yamaha outboard with 171 light use hours TT. Model 2001 century Bimini top. Just found out I have a hole in the top of the block. Need a new motor. I just can’t believe this issue. To replace is 12000 plus. Looks brand new.
Joe
Jnix@bhhsflpg.com
I have a 2006 225 4 stroke with 900 hours. A hole the size of your little finger just came in the top of the engine block. No corrosion can be seen anywhere on the motor. We have always flushed both motors and serviced them more than manufacturers recommendations. I’ve seen thousands of other complaints online of the same problem. We need to file another class action suit for this problem. It will cost $3500 for a rebuilt block and $8000 for a new engine block….otherwise the engine is of no use….the book value is about $12000. I can’t get anything for the motor as is. If interested in filing a suit please contact me.
hulltruth.com alone has over 1000 complaints about this problem. vbayles@hotmail.com
i have 2006 yamaha 225 with the same problem 568 total hours
I have a F225 4 stroke and i think i just had the same similar problems and looking at about $12000 cost for new block and labor yo rebuild.
In 2008, I purchased a used boat with a 2004 F150 Yamaha 4 stroke engine model F150TXRC. The engine had about 90 hours on it. I have not put it into the water in the past 2 season, and as of today, it has 148 hours of use on it. Reading all the horror stories, I an worried. Should I be?
Manny I am deeper than that. Is there a lawsuit I want in
can anyone tell me if this corrosion problem is also on the 2000 200hp HPDI 2 strokes?
I have a Yamaha 2005 F250 and have spent almost 10,000 dollars on it due to problems. The latest is the lower end w not out with 600 hrs and cost me $5,000 to fix and I continue to hav issues and cannot us my boat again.