outlander400

On pre-05 models of the Outlander, many owners have had problems with the Voltage regultor failing. This often comes without warning, and in some instances, leaving the ATV unable to start or run properly. BRP will cover a failed Voltage regulator under warranty, but will not replace it if it has not failed yet..

There are 2 scenarios of the failure, 1) VR undercharges and battery eventually dies. 2) VR overcharges and battery, headlights or other accesories may fail. On 2005 and later models, BRP has seemed to address the Voltage regultor issue and has retrofitted older models with the new style VR

Personally I have only witnessed the undercharging scenario. Having it happen on 3 occasions with my 2003 model I have found ways to deal with the problem until a visit to the dealer is feasable.
If Voltage regulator is undercharging you may notice headlights start to Flicker, or Dash indicator lights flash when brakes are applied.. the engine may still run properly at this time.

What has happened is that the Voltage regulator is not charging the battery at 12-14 Volts.. Therefore Once battery charge gets lower and lower the engine dies, because electrical power to the ignition system is not enough to fire the spark plug. So what a rider needs to do is preserve battery voltage anyway possible so that the spark plug will fire. The same scenario would happen on your car if you removed the alternator.

To deal with this problem:

1)Turn off headlights and any other electrical accesory.
2)Unplug brake / tailight at rear harness
3)Do not use electric start, use recoil starter
4)If possible, remove and trickle charge battery overnight

Following these procedures may extend ones riding day and enable the ATV to get back to the truck.. 2 of my 3 failures Happened on the first day of a riding weekend.. Following these tips have enabled me to continue riding for the duration of the trip.

Some instances of Voltage regulator Overcharging have also been reported. When this happens charge voltage goes from a normal 13 or 14 Volts, to 18 or 19 volts. Some owners have expierienced melted headlights or blown bulbs as a side effect. I cannot comment of a trailside fix for this issue, All I can recommend is run the ATV as little as possible to avoid failures to other electrical devices.

In the Marketing of the Outlander ATV, BRP claims that the SST frame will glide over trail obsticles like a ski, and the underside of the frame acts as a skid plate.. THIS IS NOT THE CASE!!.. Although the frame will act like a ski and glide over obsticles, frame damage will result as the frame construction is too thin to take this kind of abuse. For some, this has been a Warranty issue (myself included) But be advised that there is a fine line between a Warranty Claim and Driver abuse.
This issue is easily remedied by installing aftermarket skidplates prior to riding in extreme conditions. BRP, Ricochet and Perfex Canada have skidplates to fit the Outlander 400. Please see the links section for more info.

Another Frame issue has popped up recently on pre-05 models. It seems as though the SST Frame has a weak spot near the rear of the engine and some owners have reported a TOTAL failure of the lower Spar (meaning the whole lower spar has broken).. Unfortunatly, a few of these owners have passed the 3 year warranty mark (some by mere weeks) and Bombardier refuses to warranty the Frame past the 3 year warranty, which leaves these owners to repair the frame themselves. BRP has remedied this issue in 2005 as the frames on newer models have reinforcement in this problem area. If you have a 2003 or 2004 Model Outlander please keep an eye out for frame failure under the engine, regardless of if you have Skidplates or not.

Many Outlander owners have complained about the ATV not going into gear properly.. it is caused by the powertrain being under load some how, either on a hill or stuck. This is remidied by rocking the ATV forward and backward also known as the "outlander hump". Although fustrating at times, there is no internal repair for this issue. A side effect of this, usually due to fustration of being stuck is a bent shifter linkage handle. The handle may not line up properly with the gear selected and is repaired by removing the handle from the linkage and the ATV, straighting it and re-installing. Please note that the shifter can only be corrected a few times before the metal fatigues and the shifter breaks...

Some owners have expierienced cooling system fan Failure in extreme temperatures or low speed riding. There are 2 possible causes for the cooling fan not working as required:

1) Blown fan fuse - this is usually caused by the rider going through deep water while the fan was operating. The extra load of the water will blow the fuse. Check and replace fuse as required.

2) Temperature sensor failure: Once fuse has been checked and is determined OK, proceed to remove right side Radiator shroud and note temperature sensor location in bottom right corner of Rad. Unplug harness from sensor and jump teminals in harness with a small piece of wire or paperclip. If fan now runs then the temperature sensor is faulty.

*Note* The temperature sensor is covered by the extended warranty but is cheaper than the $50 deductable required payment after 6 month base warranty is up. One may choose to replace the sensor themselves to save some money.

Some owners have expierienced annoying exhaust rattles during operation. A simple fix for this is to apply Red high heat silicone to the springs that hold the muffler and headpipe together.
1) Simply remove the right side engine cover
2) Apply red silicone between spring coils
3) Also check heat sheild and make sure its tight, if not retighten bolts
4) Re-install cover.

FRONT STRUT LEAKAGE:

Some owners of pre- '05 Outlanders have expierienced Leaking front struts. The only fix for this issue is to install struts from an '05 model as they are an improved design. This item is covered under warranty at the decretion of the dealer, some will warranty them, and some wont. If your dealer chooses not to Warranty a failed strut, contact BRP customer service.

I have come across the odd report of Fender breakage on Outlander models with Camoflage plastic during winter riding. Unfortunatly, To my knowledge, there is no preventative fix for this other than staying away from trees during tight corners and rollovers. In most cases, fenders are not covered under warranty as it is a cosmetic item. Please be advised that Camo fenders are VERY expensive to replace so owners get "bent over" twice as they pay a premium for the camo model and then have to pay out big time if they break a fender.(something like 4X the price of solid coloured plastic) My advise is to stay away from the Camo plastic, and if your really serious about hunting, purchase a camo ATV cover.

There appears to be no issues with the solid coloured plastic, I have personally seen an Outlander roll 11 times (not mine, thank goodness!) down a gravel pit with no damage to the fender plastic.. That particular Outlander only suffered slight breakage to the plastic racks and a bent aluminum subframe which holds up the rear rack. The owner and I stripped this machine down and repaired anything that was damagaged, once we were done it ended up costing nothing.. He kept the cracked rack plastic on to remind him about this incident.

Please Don't be alarmed!! Every ATV that puts out respectable power has the ability to break the front CV joints.. What has been discovered with the Outlander is that it turns too sharp, and when stuck in reverse there is a possibility to break a CV joint as the tires catch traction and jolt the bars to one side. An esteemed Outlander owner has compiled some stats on the CV joint breakage issue.

Here is the percentage as it worked out based on 500 broken cv joints !

Broken while in reverse using the override: 75%

Broken while in reverse not on override: less than 1%

Broken while in forward motion: 24%
( most of which involved rock crawling )

while running stock size 25" tires (ACT or ohtsu ): 6%

while running over size tires 26" or larger: 74%

A very small amount were broken from stress of winching another quad or object but it was to small of a # to apply a percentage .

I also broke down the over size tire stat a bit further .
of the 74% running over size rubber

80% were running 26"
7% were running 27"
3% were running 28" rubber

these stats were compiled from 7 different atv forums ! Careful tracking prevented a doubling of the reports !!
I hope this helps as this was a two year study that I felt prooved my point. - "Wildcard"

Please Keep in mind that CV joint breakage may not be warranty if the Dealer feels the failure was from abuse.

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There has been a few reported cases of the exhaust melting the fenders.. This is covered under warranty.. Please view for more info.

Outlander Owners who ride in snowy conditions have found there to be occasional severe brake fade. The scenario is that you apply the hand brake, and find the lever will oddly pull right to the bars with little resistance, as if to suggest total brake system failure.. You pump up the brakes 2 or 3 times and they are fine.. The reason for this is ice and snow on the front rotors. It builds up slightly and pushes the pads away from the rotor. Once you go to apply the brakes the pad has to travel farther to get to the rotor, and once it gets there it slides on ice. The cure for this potentially harmful fault is to use the brakes often to keep the rotors warm.. What I often do is drag the brake slightly while riding - apply the brake just enough that you can feel it load up the engine, but not reduce your speed every couple of minutes.. It has not been proven yet that this fault is direct cause from the front rotors mounted inboard toward the center of the chassis.

Piczo