Stop Buying Cheap ATVs for Your Kids, They’re Crap and Dangerous

It's hard to keep reporting on this without feeling outraged.

Photo by: Consumer Reports

By: Robbie Bacon

Jun 1, 2025 at 8:21am ET

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I feel like almost every recall that's come my way lately has been for a cheap, Chinese-made ATV for kids. And the recalls haven't been for an overlooked part or bolt that comes loose; they've been for egregious safety oversights. The recall for the Chepei 49cc Kids Gas Mini ATV is no different.

The youth ATV is being recalled because it's missing a tail lamp, stop lamp, and all required safety reflectors, which reduces visibility of the ATV to other vehicles and poses a collision hazard. But that's not all because the hardware it has also poses safety risks.

The mechanical suspension fails to comply with ATV safety requirements, posing a deadly crash hazard. The handlebars also fail to comply with ATV safety requirements, posing a deadly laceration hazard if the child rider’s body or head impacts the handlebars. As if this weren't enough, the ATVs fail to comply with other mandatory safety requirements for ATVs intended for children 6 years of age and older, such as missing required labeling.

ATVs that fail to meet the mandatory safety requirements pose a risk of serious injury or death. So, yeah, this product essentially threw all safety requirements out the window and put together a parts bin special ATV. As you might have guessed, there's no fixing these ATVs, probably because they're fundamentally flawed in too many ways.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to stop using the Chepei youth ATVs immediately and dispose of them in accordance with local disposal requirements. You also shouldn't give away or try to sell these units.

What do you think?

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The Chepei 49cc Kids Gas Mini ATVs were sold online at Walmart.com from March 2024 through January 2025 for about $410, but the seller, Shenzhenshi Jingsi Maoyiyouxiangongsi, of China, doing business as Mlegaomoto, has not agreed to recall these youth ATVs or offer a remedy to consumers.

So if you bought one of these products, you're out of luck. Try to look at it as a lesson though, to stop buying cheap powersports products, as, unfortunatly, the words "cheap" and "powersports" never go well together.