2020 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701

Sudden loss of throttle control. Fist incident I had left my house and ridden a 1/2 mile and the throttle suddenly became unresponsive. The motorcycle then after restart would only go aprx 10-15mph with throttle applied. I replaced the battery as it was 3yrs of age. Motorcycle then operated normally for the next trip aprx 5 miles. The following day as I went to turn left and enter a roadway in a gap in traffic the motorcycle lurched forward a few feet and then had no throttle response. This put me into the oncoming traffic lane with no propulsion and caught the other vehicles by surprise. I was almost struck by the oncoming car. In both incidence the throttle which is a fly by wire electronic throttle become completely unresponsive. The LCD dash display says "TC Failure" and the check engine, TC, and ADS lights are all illuminated. When the motorcycle is turned off and back on the problem either goes away for a minute or two or is still active. There are multiple accounts of "Husqvarna Vitpilen TC Failure with loss of throttle" accounts on forums. The Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 is essentially the same motorcycle mechanically as the KTM 690 Duke. On the forums there are reports of this happening on the Vitpilen 401 and Duke 390 as well. As a motorcyclist with 47 years of ridding experience I have owned 34 motorcycles. This is a serious safety issue know to KTM/ Husqvarna that is going to kill someone. If there was every anything that should be a recall this is it. Feel free to call me [XXX] [XXX] My 2020 Vitpilen 701 is in immaculate condition and has been serviced to specs. It has 2650 miles on it and is 3 yrs old. The warranty for the motorcycle is 2 yrs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11547690

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

As I approached an intersection with a stop sign for my direction of travel I pulled the clutch lever in to slow my speed and downshift the motorcycle. The clutch lever pulled all the way to the handlebar without disengaging the clutch. I had to lock/skid the rear brake to avoid being hit by an oncoming automobile. Fortunately the driver of the vehicle saw me skidding past the stop sign and swerved to avoid hitting me. I had to put the motorcycle into first gear and press the starter button as I pushed to get moving again. At the next intersection I again had to use the brakes to kill the engine to avoid being hit by oncoming vehicles. Using the starter motor was once again required to get the motorcycle moving. I had the ABS disabled as I was returning to the highway after traveling on a dirt road. Had the ABS been activated I would not have been able to avoid being hit by the automobile. Husqvarna refused to repair the failed "O Ring" in the Clutch Slave Cylinder claiming it's not a safety issue! Had I not been a rider with 50 plus years of experience this could have been a fatal accident. This is a know problem for Husqvarna/KTM and they refuse to address it. The internet is rife with other riders having the exact same problem. My local Husqvarna dealer offered to sell me an aftermarket replacement Clutch Slave Cylinder even though my motorcycle is still under the original factory warranty. They told me that Husqvarna has refused to cover countless requests to repair the faulty seal under the warranty. Had my wife or daughter been operating the motorcycle there is a good chance they would not have reacted in time to avoid injury or death.

NHTSA ID

11423826

Incident

Jul 7, 2021

Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc. has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists with certain 2018, 2019 and 2020 motorcycles listed above pertaining to the clutch slave cylinder. On affected motorcycles there is a possibility that the bellow style gasket can be damaged caused by deviations during assembly. Damage to the bellow gasket may affect the function of the clutch slave cylinder. This could result in the rider noticing a change in shifting behavior and the clutch becoming inoperable to the point where the clutch will not disengage when the clutch lever is pulled in. To ensure the highest level of safety, performance, reliability and customer satisfaction, it is necessary to replace the clutch slave cylinder on all affected motorcycles that have a bellow style gasket clutch slave cylinder mounted (Fig. 1).

Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc. has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists with the motorcycle models and years listed below in which the alignment of the gear teeth on the license plate holder and swingarm may be positioned incorrectly. This can lead to twisting of the license plate holder and subsequently to the loosening of the rear wheel axle collar nut. For this reason, the correct mounting position of the license plate holder and torque of the rear axle collar nut must be checked. 2018, 2019, 2020 – VITPILEN 701 2019, 2020 – SVARTPILEN 701

Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc. has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists with the motorcycle models and years listed above in which the fuel may seep or leak from the fuel level sensor mounting area and fuel pump mounting area. To ensure the highest level of safety, performance, reliability and customer satisfaction, it is necessary to install a newly developed fuel tank that has an increased wall thickness along with new gaskets for the fuel level sensor, fuel pump, and fuel tank insert on all affected models. The new fuel tank with thicker walls has an improved sealing behavior.