Thursday, November 5th, Club Car announced the recall of 11,600 Golf Carts due to a fire hazard. It appears that a hose clamp can rub a hole in the fuel tank, causing a fuel leak, which may lead to a fire
Who makes this product?
The golf carts are manufactured by Club Car LLC, located in Augusta, GA. The vehicles were manufactured between July 2014 and August 2015.
Which products are affected?
This part might get a little complicated. You need to check the serial and model numbers of your golf cart. Apparently these can be found just to the right of the accelerator pedal. The recalled carts are as follows:
- Precedent 12 Gas (Model SL) Serial #s 1438-487172 through 1604-619273.
- Precedent 12L Gas (Model SM) Serial #s 1503-527138 through 1603-619240.
- Precedent 12 4 Passenger Gas (Model SN) Serial #s 1502-525626 through 1604-619488.
- Precedent 12 Signature Gas (Model SU) Serial #s 1516-545869 through 1603-618029.
- Precedent 12 Signature 4 Passenger Gas (Model SV) Serial #s 1506-530816 through 1546-608008.
How widespread is the problem?
The problem effects 11,600 golf carts, which is a big number in its own right, but tiny compared to the overall market. Luckily for everyone involved, there have been no reported fires at this time.
What can be done about it?
While Club Car is attempting to contact the owners of these vehicles, they are advising that in the meantime discontinue using them until they can be repaired. If you would like to schedule a repair, contact Club Car at 888-227-7925.
What does this mean?
While the fire danger is very real, it also seems to be a problem that is easily fixed. Unless there are more injuries, which have not been reported yet, if you follow the recall instructions you should be fine.
I am certainly not the car or golf cart expert around here, but I have to question how fragile the gas tank is if it can be worn away by a clamp? It seems like a pretty serious design flaw. In fixing it, I would imagine that they would switch to a less abrasive clamp, but since this clamp and the gas tank obviously come into contact with one another, I wonder if a clamp made of softer material might cause it to fail from contact with the gas tank. Of course, these are questions for another day, and certainly not a reason to avoid having your vehicle repaired.