On October 25, 2021, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it planned to recall certain 2021 Tracer 9 GTs due to a potential certification problem. On affected bikes, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stamped on the bike may not match the VIN printed on the Vehicle Certification Label. While the correct VIN plate is stamped on the vehicle, the incorrect number on the label could lead owners to miss important safety recalls that could arise. 

Yamaha estimates that approximately 16 individual units could be affected, representing an estimated one percent of bikes sold. On affected bikes, some assembly workers may have inadvertently only read and confirmed the final few characters of the stamped VIN with the printed VIN on the vehicle certification label, instead of checking the entire 17-digit VINs against one another.  

Due to the nature of this recall, there’s not a specific warning that may occur to a rider about it. However, it’s easily confirmed by a simple visual comparison of the stamped VIN (which is correct on all vehicles) with the VIN located on the printed vehicle certification label. If they do not match, authorized Yamaha dealers in the U.S. will repair the issue on affected bikes, free of charge to customers. 

Since this issue was discovered, Yamaha has now modified the assembly process to prevent this error from occurring in the future, including multiple checks by multiple people and even recording the matching process on camera. Unsold units will be inspected and corrected if necessary prior to sale.  

Yamaha announced plans to notify its dealer network in the U.S. about this recall between November 5 and November 8, 2021. The company also said it would send out notification letters to registered owners of potentially affected vehicles between the same dates as dealer notifications. 

Yamaha’s recall number for this issue is 990151. Owners may contact Yamaha customer service at 1-800-962-7926. The NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 21V-836. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

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