Class Action Alleges Certain 2019 Sea-Doo Watercraft Suffer from Intake Grate ‘Defect’

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges certain Sea-Doo personal watercraft suffer from a defect that can cause their intake grate to detach during normal use. 

The 17-page suit alleges Sea-Doo watercraft affected by the apparent defect, namely all 2019 Sea-Doo GTX, RXT or Wake Pro models equipped with 230 and 300 engines, pose a safety hazard and are “unreasonably dangerous” to consumers. 

The case alleges the defendants have “long known” of the defect hampering the Sea-Doo’s intake grate, a metal bar mounted on the bottom of the watercraft that prevents debris from entering the pump, yet “concealed” its existence from consumers. Per the complaint, the problem can occur without warning and cause a Sea-Doo to “break[] apart in the middle of a lake, ocean, or any body of water, stranding the rider” and subjecting them to a risk of drowning, hypothermia or other injuries. 

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff business purchased in January 2020 a 2019 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 from an authorized dealer in Guatemala. In September 2021, the business lent the Sea-Doo to an individual, also a plaintiff, who took the watercraft for a ride on Río Dulce. 

The individual plaintiff says that after accelerating the Sea-Doo to around 59 mph, he was ejected from the watercraft “in what seemed like an explosion.” Per the case, the plaintiff lost consciousness and had to be rescued from the river by bystanders, and the man suffered a “strong impact” to his chest, causing him severe pain. 

In the incident, the Sea-Doo the plaintiff was riding lost two-thirds of its hull, and was rendered a total loss, according to the complaint:

On information and belief, the case alleges, “defects” caused the intake grate of the Sea-Doo the plaintiff was riding to detach from the craft, which caused it to eject the rider and break apart.

The suit contends that defendants BRP US Inc., Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. and BRP Inc. did not disclose to the public at any point that the Sea-Doo models at issue suffer from “defective intake grates.”

“On information and belief, there are hundreds of other consumers affected by these defects in the Sea-Doos,” the case alleges. “These consumers have been damaged, receiving watercrafts [sic] whose value is less than what consumers paid for them and being put at risk of serious bodily harm due to the unsafe, defective intake grates.” 

The lawsuit looks to represent all persons who purchased and/or were injured while using a 2019 Sea-Doo GTX, RXT or Wake PRO equipped with a 230 or 300 engine.  

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