UTVs are awesome off-the-grid vehicles that we use to explore the wilderness and immerse ourselves in the great outdoors. As such, nearly all UTVs available in the market are built to be absolute workhorses capable of driving through hell and back in one piece.
Indeed, it’s in companies’ best interest to make sure their machines are built to take a hit. And so when things go wrong, prompt recalls and fixes need to occur before whatever problems may arise. This is exactly what’s happening with a bunch of Intimidator and Mahindra-branded UTVs, wherein quite a catastrophe could ensue should these machines' u-joint fail.
The universal joint, or U-joint, is a vital component in nearly all four-wheeled, rear and four-wheel-drive vehicles. Its job is pretty simple, and that’s to transfer mechanical power between two shafts whose axes are at an angle to each other. U-joints can be found in most RWD and 4WD road vehicles, but they’re even more important in long suspension travel applications such as off-roaders and UTVs. And so having this component fail is definitely one of the last things you’d want to happen.
In the case of Intimidator and Mahindra UTVs, it gets worse, as the recall explains that should the U-joint fail, it poses the risk of severing the vehicle's brake lines in the process. So yes, that means you won’t be able to stop either. Yikes.
In total, Mahindra lists 21 affected models with years ranging from 2019 to 2023. A total of 40 incidents have been reported, with 12 of them involving brake line damage, so it’s definitely more than enough to warrant a serious recall. Thankfully, however, no injuries have been reported.
So there you go, guys and gals. If you or anyone you know owns an Intimidator or Mahindra UTV, have them check out this link to see if their vehicle is part of the recall. It’s certainly not something to be sat on, so I’d contact my nearest Intimidator dealer stat if I were you.
It goes without saying that issues like this suck big time, especially for folks who rely on their trusty UTVs for their businesses and daily mobility. But it’s also a good thing that manufacturers are looking out for our safety and promptly issuing recalls to fix the problems ASAP.
