Kawasaki KX450 Motorcycle Recall Lawsuit Filed Over Alleged Crankshaft Defect, Crash Risk

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Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit after thousands of 2025 KX450-series competition and cross-country motorcycles were recalled last month due to a crash risk linked to an apparently faulty crankshaft.

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According to the 19-page Kawasaki recall lawsuit, the manufacturer touted that the motorcycles were safe and effective despite knowing that the primary gear on the crankshaft could fail. The failure of the crankshaft, which is responsible for converting the movement of the pistons into a rotational motion, can cause the motorcycle’s engine to stall while in use, posing a serious, potentially life-threatening crash hazard to riders, the class action suit says.

Per the case, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on April 24, 2025 a recall of roughly 3,400 KX-series motorcycles, including the 2025 KX450, KX450SR and KX450X. The recalled motorcycles—sold at authorized Kawasaki dealers from June 2024 through March 2025 for between $10,500 and $13,600—bear the model numbers KX450MSFNN, KX450PSFNN or KX450NSFNN, the CPSC relays.

The recall notice advises consumers to stop using the recalled motorcycles immediately and contact a Kawasaki dealer for a free repair.

The complaint contends that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn consumers about the “crash prone” motorcycles. Instead, the company concealed, or even ignored, the need for more robust warnings, “prioritizing sales over consumer safety,” the filing claims.

The case argues that no reasonable consumer would have purchased the motorcycles at issue had they known the products “were, and are, unsafe” and exposed riders to a risk of crashing.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased a 2025 Kawasaki KX-series motorcycle (model KX450, KX450SR or KX450X) during the applicable statute of limitations period.

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