POLARIS 800 RMK 2003 — recall 2003043

Reported risk: On certain snowmobiles, the collar welded to the steering post can sometimes result in a weakening of the steering post due to an undercut condition at the weld toe, resulting in a thinner steering post wall section. If the condition is severe enough and occurs over a sufficient portion of the circumference of the steering post, the post could fail. This condition can result in the steering post separating and the handlebars and adjacent portion of the steering post becoming separated from the sled. The separation of the handle bars and steering post from the snowmobile during operation can cause the operator to lose control of the snowmobile and crash, possibly resulting in severe injury or death to the operator. Correction: Dealer will replace the steering post assembly with the standard steel post material used on other Polaris snowmobiles. This post material is thicker walled. The revised design will also include an inner tube that is inserted inside the steering post to provide additional strength and also serve as a backing ring for the steering column collar weld.