On January 14, 2022, KTM North America issued a recall for all 2022 Husqvarna FE 350s and FE 501s sold in the United States due to a front brake issue. On affected bikes, the retaining “R” clips on the front brake caliper that hold the brake pads in place may be mounted incorrectly, and could therefore unfasten themselves and fall out while riding.
If you think this issue sounds familiar, it’s because KTM North America previously issued a recall regarding this issue in August, 2021, also for all 2022 Husqvarna FE 350s and FE 501s sold in the U.S. Under the terms of that recall, KTM announced plans to inspect and then correctly install the retaining clips on those bikes via the Husqvarna North America Dealer network, free of charge.
Then, on October 21, 2021, KTM expanded the recall via the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to include several additional GasGas and Husqvarna off-road, closed-course competition models sold in the U.S. and Canada. The full list of those bikes is available in our writeup of the previous recall, but the remedy was the same: Inspection and proper installation of the retaining clips to hopefully solve the issue.
It should be noted that the August 2021 NHTSA recall covers on-road bikes, while the October 2021 CPSC recall regards off-road bikes that were determined to have the same issue. Given the nature of these two 2021 recalls and their relationship to one another, it’s unclear if there will be an additional CPSC recall issued for off-road bikes as relates to the new NHTSA recall detailed below.
The January 2022 recall supersedes the August 2021 NHTSA recall, and it only applies to 2022 Husqvarna FE 350s and FE 501s at this time. Under this newest recall, Husqvarna North America dealers will completely replace the brake pad retaining “R” clips on both the front and rear brake calipers. There is now a new “R” clip version with an additional retaining mechanism, which represents a significant improvement to the previous version.
Under this recall, Husqvarna will replace both “R” clips on the front and rear brake calipers for consistency, so there is less room for confusion to mix them up in the future. Additionally, KTM North America advises that this new clip is currently being used on the assembly line for all new bikes produced.
All customers with 2022 Husqvarna FE 350s and FE 501s in North America are advised to stop riding their motorcycles at this time, until they can receive Husqvarna dealer recall service for this issue. An authorized Husqvarna dealer must replace the “R” clips in the interest of rider safety. If replacement has been performed prior to this recall being issued, owners with proper documentation may seek reimbursement from Husqvarna North America.
Husqvarna North America Dealers will be notified regarding this recall between January 13, 2022 and December 15, 2023. Registered owners of affected bikes will be notified on January 18, 2022. KTM North America’s number for this recall is HTB2111. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s number for this recall is 22V-014. Owners may contact KTM customer service at 1-888-985-6090. Additionally, owners may contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
