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2018 Kodiak 450 Forum?

23K views 46 replies 15 participants last post by  CanadianKodiak700 
Hey guys, I have a 2020 Kodiak 450 EPS. Since the day I bought it, it sort of "lurches" or "jerks" when you first accelerate. It's at a very low rpm, when the clutches engage, you can feel it sort of "grab" and then it drives like normal. No abnormal sounds or anything, just a consistent and somewhat abrupt engagement and I'm wondering if this is on all the 450s. I have ridden many other CVT-equipped quads, mostly kawasaki and polaris, but this is my first Yamaha with a CVT.

Any insight is appreciated. My next step is to go to the dealer and see if the other 450s on the lot do the same thing. If not, time for some warranty work.

Cheers!
 
Thanks. I went to the dealer, drove a floor model Kodiak 450, smoooooth as butter. Mine is definitely jacked up. I dropped it off for warranty work, hopefully Yamaha fixes this transmission. Mine is brand new, been like this since I bought it a month ago.
 
I dropped it off a couple hours before close on Tuesday. They said expect to hear something back (at least after an initial inquiry/assessment) by late this week or early next. More interestingly though, when the tech came outside to conduct a quick analysis of the issue (which he fully acknowledged existed) I asked "you think Yamaha will fix this transmission?" and he said, "I don't know, maybe, they might say it just runs that way". That's a little disheartening - we had a similar experience with a Ford Escape with 1k miles on it ( I know Yamaha is not Ford). The tech was great mind you, nice guy, easy to talk to, honest answers. Additionally however, my quad NEVER fires up upon first 1-second press of the ignition when cold (80-90 F outside) It has always taken two 1-2 second tries. The floor model fired right up instantly and didn't have any trans issues..... wondering if I should have just ponied up for the Kodiak 700 EPS......Lesson here: ALWAYS drive the ATV before taking home.

Will keep you posted on what happens - I'm hopeful Yamaha will sort it out. Sorry to sort of hi-jack this thread, but there doesn't seem to be a 18'-20' 450 section.
 
Bad news for me....Yamaha refuses to fix it. I hate bringing this negative vibe to the forum, but it's what I'm experiencing and everyone's input is helping for sure.

The dealership left me a voicemail saying, and I'm paraphrasing slightly, "Our tech took a look at it, then we contacted Yamaha and Yamaha said there isn't anything to be done. Yamaha engineered in some play to protect the machine, you know, for when you're off road and in 4wd and stuff."

To me this is unacceptable because the machine lurches when accelerating from a stop after every. single. gear. change. It is sudden, it is abrupt, and it is not normal. I fear it will cause premature wear on the transmission components. I know Yamaha did not engineer the machine to abruptly lurch into motion upon accelerating (every single time), b/c the other 450 on the showroom floor doesn't do it at all and b/c NO OTHER atv with an automatic CVT from any manufacturer does this unless it is not operating correctly.

Now I begin my journey of continuing to reach out to Yamaha for support. Soooo happy I didn't buy the extended warranty since Yamaha won't honor even their 6-month manufacturer warranty. I've got a youtube channel where I'll post a video of the ATV lurching into motion and explaining that Yamaha refuses to fix it, claiming that's the way they designed it to work.

Again, I hate to be a debbie downer - that ain't my style, but this has been supremely frustrating. Thank you everyone for the continued support. I want to love the machine, but Yamaha isn't helping.
 
Thank you everyone, again I appreciate the advice and support. TRW - I'm not sure if you're joking or not, regardless that's pretty hardcore - may have to go that route eventually.

I made a quick video showcasing the issue. If this happened after 10 years of use, I wouldn't be upset. If this was a $2k quad I bought used, I wouldn't be too upset. This is brand new. It's hard to tell in the video, but I can feel the abrupt engagement every single time. Should I just relax and not worry about it? Or get this thing operating smoothly? The tech never opened it up, so I'm not sure what the issue(s) is, maybe the primary clutch?

My post count isn't high enough to post the URL. Can someone else post the URL for me? Search the below on youtube and you'll find it:

"pNSrH3cHzEs"

Title: "Yamaha Refuses to Warranty "Jerky" Ultramatic CVT on Brand New 2020 Kodiak 450 EPS"

Thank you again everyone, this forum is incredibly helpful. I hope to pay it back for other 450 owners when possible.
 
Right on, thanks TRW. I'm a true believer in escalation of force, so I'll start with a friendly but stern call to Yamaha Corporate. If that fails to yield results, I will probably send them this video as evidence and hope that motivates them. Next step....hardcore.

I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but I've never worked on or ripped apart a CVT before. So, I certainly appreciate everyone's advice and/or guidance.

Again, I fall back on the fact that I've never driven a CVT-equipped automatic quad, sled, or UTV that ever behaved like this.

And, the sad part is that Yamaha only has to wait 6-months (sorry excuse for a warranty).
 
Welp, spoke with Yamaha customer service and they said they don't speak to customers about warranties. Customers' only options are to go through the middle man, Yamaha approved dealerships. So, I'm not able to speak to Yamaha at all about my issue. The only choice I have is to go back to the dealership. Mind you, this is the same dealership that, when they brought my ATV out to me after they put it together, it had the back wheels/tires on the front, and the front wheels/tires on the back. The foot brake was not adjusted correctly to the point where there was no rear brake, and the steering was quite obviously off (things I've fixed on my own).

TRW - since my options are depleted, and Yamaha refuses to work with me at all, I'm ready to do anything I can to show people what kind of sloppy engineering and assembly they can expect from Yamaha in addition to the warranty which is worth absolutely nothing.

I'm out of options - any suggestions appreciated.

P.S. my new dream job = Yamaha customer service rep. Answer phone, say one of two options: 1) we don't do that. 2) contact a local dealer. Easiest job in the world....
 
Have some patience friends! I'm not the hit it and quit it type! For real though, been insanely busy with work, weddings, sickness, sick cat, you know.... (when it rains it pours).

Sorry to be getting back to you so late on this. I do have an update, but wanted to think clearly about how I would move forward.

Still nothing from Yamaha corporate, however, I filled out the dealer survey that was emailed to me and they ended up getting back to me. I was honest, didn't bash the dealer, but clearly stated what I was frustrated about. The head of service called me over the phone and wanted to make it right (at least in their books). I thoroughly and politely articulated my complaint about Yamaha not addressing the issue. He was also polite this entire time, although, he said his tech told him he could get the machine to repeat the error on command, or not have the error at all AND that the floor model did the same thing. In the politest way I could, I told him that was completely false on both counts. His next approach, and I appreciate this very much, was to get him, a Yamaha regional representative, and myself with the machine all together to give it an overview. But, he made it clear that he would have the tech explain to me that this is how they work (then why invite me down if that's all you intend to do? to satisfy the books?). At the same time, I was receiving multiple comments from others on the Youtubes that this was normal (what the tech and service counter employee both told me). Many people commented that this was the centrifugal clutch, though I believe it could be another shaft inside there (I'm no expert, obviously). So, after MUCH thought, I decided not to revisit the dealer. I don't want to drag the machine down there just for them to explain to me this is how it works and send me off. I'm still not super happy that I have to feather the throttle into motion every single time just to save the transmission from excessive engagement, but I'll live with it. I've adjusted my driving style to worse machines. I'm not mad, sad, or ticked and I realize I'm choosing this path, so I must deal with the consequences. In the end, I think (hope?) it'll be fine over the long term, it's just a big pill to swallow after spending that kind of cash.

So, onward and upward. I'll just try to be happy with it.

I cannot say how much I appreciate everyone's eagerness to help me. It truly meant a lot. Not everybody has vast experience with transmissions, Yamaha corporate, dealerships, etc, so tapping into this network and not getting bullied out has been refreshing.

I've made an "overview" video of the 450 discussing my likes, dislikes, etc with the intention of informing others about this great little quad. I'll post that and many other related videos on this site so hopefully other folks can make more informed decisions in the future.

Thank you again everyone for the help - I certainly came out of this smarter ( i think...) and I fully intend to pay it back however I can.

***Any way we can setup a 450 page? I feel bad posting all this 450 stuff in the 700 section....****
 
Just a thought and I'm sure you ve already considered this, but I you considered simply trading in your 450 at the same dealership for a EPS 700 kodiaks? Atleast then it will be their BS issue and no longer yours.
I have thought about that, quite a bit actually. But, like with trading in cars, I know i'd lose a LOT of money on the trade in. So, the juice isn't quite worth the squeeze at this point. The 450 will still do everything I need it to, with ease. And I'm just grateful to have a modern, well built machine that allows me to have some fun and get some work done on my property. Also, I will never give this dealership any more money whatsoever. They weren't terrible, but they don't deserve my business - they're a high volume type of a place. For context, in order to get this quad, I just sold a much-loved 1998 Kawasaki Prairie 400 4x4 (for $1,700!!!) that was SOOO good to me, so this 450 feels like a spaceship to me, lol. The intention is to keep this Kodiak 450 for another 20+ years - I want my non-existent kids to learn riding on it. Basically, I can get emotionally attached to these four-wheeled machines, it's just my nature; and I'd prefer to start off the relationship as love at first site - if I may be so cheesy.

In the end, it isn't a huge deal. Just lessons learned.... gotta move on and enjoy the little beast.
 
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