Earlier this month, Yamaha Motor Corp. announced that a large percentage of WaveRunners sold over the last two years need an update to the fuel filler neck. Concerned that owners have pushed the gas pump nozzle into their WaveRunner a little too forcibly may have separated the fuel port (“socket”) from the filler neck (“hose”), allowing fuel into the hull.
The repair replaces the fuel port and secures the filler neck firmly. Thankfully, it’s a reasonably quick replacement to perform. Per corporate procedure, owners of eligible WaveRunners should have received a notice alerting them to the recall, encouraging all to contact their nearest dealership to schedule to have their watercraft updated free of charge.
The Watercraft Journal has included the complete list of affected WaveRunners in the table below. The model names listed are not what the consumer may know them by, but rather the internal corporate designation (ex. “FX1800” would be a FX model equipped with the High Output engine, and so on):
| Model name | Model code | Model year | Affected PID range |
|---|---|---|---|
| FB1800 | F3V | 2021 | F3V-0809781 to F3V-0814939 |
| FB1800 (marketed as FX1800F-X and FX1800H-X) | F3V | 2022 | F3V-0814941 to F3V-0816580 |
| FC1800 | F3X | 2021 | F3X-0813421 to F3X-0822500 |
| FX1800 | F5G | 2022 | F5G-080 0101 to F5G-0801620 |
| GP1800A and GP1800C | F4P | 2021-22 | F4P-0800101 to F4G-0805780 |
| GP1800B and GP1800D | F4M | 2021-22 | F4M-0800101 to F4M-0802900 |
| VX1050 | F4N | 2021-22 | F4N-0800101 to F4N-0810860 |
| VX1800 | F4S | 2021-22 | F4S-0800101 to F4S-0806620 |
In addition to the recall notice, some are finding the engine compartments of their WaveRunners smelling like gas, or in rare examples, finding fuel collecting around the gas tank’s fuel pump/pickup plate. (See image below)
Although an official announcement pertaining to this occurrence in WaveRunners hasn’t been made by Yamaha at the time of this writing, there was a recall issued pertaining to this exact issue on Yamaha jet boats earlier this year. In regards to the jet boats, the repair was a new O-ring gasket fitted below the plate.
As of right now, if you own a 2021-22 Yamaha WaveRunner, we suggest: 1. you remove your seat completely or back the seat off of the mounts to allow the engine compartment to ventilate whenever stored (a good rule of thumb for all PWC); and 2. verify if there is any fuel on your tank (or nearby), or smell the heavy odor of fuel.
If so, do not start your engine. Fuel leakage is no joke and your safety is of the utmost importance, so be very cautious if you’re encountering either of the above two scenarios and contact your dealer’s service department immediately to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Stopped at my dealer to ask about this recall as I received the notice letter on my 21 VX. They are seeing problems with the replaced neck/hose setup. Customers with the new “updated” part are having difficulty filling the ski with the new venting system..it backs up quick. Complaints that it takes twice as long to fill the ski. Tech said it wouldn’t surprise him to see another recall. They showed me the new and old parts as they had them on the counter. Quite different. The replacement has a new neck, cap system and most notably no vent “T” hose. I’m going to wait, inspect and secure my original system and be gentle when filling.
Ugh. Sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for the heads up.