The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been recalled in the US, for a “loss of brake function from caliper corrosion”. Nearly 5,000 units are being recalled stateside.
- Corrosion caused by salt used to de-ice roads in winter
- 4,891 potentially affected units, manufactured between 2017 and 2021
- Himalayan was also recalled for caliper corrosion in 2020
As per Royal Enfield’s official communication with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the salt used to treat roads in the winter could corrode the brake calipers, “causing a decrease or total loss of brake function”. As a result, 4,891 units of the Himalayan manufactured between 2017 and 2021 could be affected.
RE has, therefore, announced a voluntary recall, where dealers will replace the front and rear brake calipers on the affected vehicles. ByBre (a Brembo subsidiary) is the supplier of the brake calipers on the Himalayan. It’s unclear why units manufactured after 2021 are unaffected, though presumably there must have been some sort of change to the braking system.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that the Himalayan has been recalled for this issue. Back in 2020, RE recalled over 15,000 units of the 650 twins and the Himalayan for the same issue. However, back then, the recall was carried out in the UK, Europe and South Korea, and this time around, it is being executed in the US.
As far as India is concerned, road salt is not a very widespread practice here, and so the corrosion risk doesn't factor in. Royal Enfield confirmed this, in the following statement:
"As part of the precautionary service intervention, Royal Enfield has undertaken a similar measure in the US and currently the motorcycles sold during the period March 2017 and February 2021 will undergo replacement of the brake calipers free of cost.
The precautionary service intervention for brake caliper replacement in markets across Europe, UK and Korea is underway. This is pertinent to only countries where roads are treated with specific salts to melt the ice during winters. This is not applicable to motorcycles sold in India."
Are you a Himalayan owner? What has your experience with the bike been like so far? Tell us in the comments below.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
