UTV Brands To Stay Away From(LOST MONEY?) – Complete Guide 2024

Very hot topic, really. It is being said that, Some people have a habit of finding clouds in a clear sky, as far as this article is considered, I am not doing that here.

So, following that, here are 5 UTV brands you should stay away from and not consider buying.  

For this purpose I  went on multiple forums, read consumer reviews, reddit it, googled it, talked to people, watched youtube videos and read news reports and along with that I added my experience with UTVs to make this guide on UTV brands to stay away from. 

Currently, the UTV brands to stay away from are Hisun, Axis, Massimo, Textron, John Deere UTV. In that if I talk about specific UTV models, these UTV models to stay away from are Hisun 550, Hisun Sector 750, Hisun 450, Hisun 1000 crew , Axis 700, Massimo T boss 550 , MSU 500, Textron Prowler Pro, Textron Pro, Textron Stampede, Tracker 800SX, John Deere Gator 825i, John Deere Gator XUV 855D, John Deere 550 S4 and other XUV series with multiple recalls. 

The main reasons for the less reliability and so many complaints of these UTV brands to stay away from are poor customer support, recurring issues with engine, clutch, transmission, and other parts, overheating, multiple recalls due to severe issues, and less brand reliability. 

Which UTV had the most number of recalls? 

If I talk about the recalls that happened in the last few years, it includes safety hazards, injury hazards, fire hazards.

A recall is a brave step, because it highlights the defects in the manufactured products and affects the vehicle reliability in the market.  

If I consider all these recalls, Polaris has the most number of recalls from Jan 2010 to July 2023.

It would result in the notion that Polaris has the most defective vehicles which is 61 recalls from 2010 to 2023.

Second maximum number of recalls  is the Kawasaki, Honda, John Deere and arctic cat. 

And if you see, polaris has lots of complaints from UTV owners, there is lots of disappointment for polaris now.

It is not the same polaris which was 10 years ago, that’s what people say. But, when I researched more I got to know another reality. 

The recalls might look maximum, but if we consider the overall scale of the polaris, then it is significantly lower than other brands.

This thing applies to the other big brands too.  

So, I had to consider all those little biases and tweaks. Considering these small small things, I have researched this article.

It will be a very genuine guide on UTV brands to stay away from and that will save your money. 

UTV brands to stay away from 

Here are some UTV brands in the market  to stay away from. One of the first in this list is Hisun Motors. Let’s see why Hisun is a UTV brand to stay away from. 

1. Hisun UTVs

I do not want to say this, but yes Hisun is a UTV brand that you should stay away from. The models from Hisun are getting lots of complaints for their products. There are several issues with it. 

Though Hisun has very less number of recalls in a decade, everywhere, Hisun is getting negative feedback more than the positive one.

This is a serious concern if you are considering the Hisun UTV for purchase. 

Like John Ruskin once said “There’s nothing more expensive than a cheap product.” It seems that Hisun has got this cheap UTV tag in the market. 

Here are very few of the problems that I seen about the various UTV models. 

One of the main reason for Hisun UTV complaints is poor customer service. I saw many complaints were customers are angry and frustrated due to lack of proper customer care. When users reached out to the repair support, it has happened many times that the repair personnel did not reply well, or delayed the reply and in some cases they refused to repair. 

Hisun UTVs has made an image in the market that it is cheap which in turn became that it is made up of cheap materials. The parts are not easily available, people complain about non reliable service centers. I have also found that some parts are really hard to get. 

As I can see some of the common problems with Hisun UTV are starter issues, engine issues, sputtering, stranding. Following are few, to represent a sea of problems. 

Common Hisun 550 UTV problems reported

• No power , Power cut 
• Recurring Sputtering Issues, Poor Service, and Lack of Warranty Support
• Starter Issues and Lack of Repair Support for 2019 Hisun 550 UTV
• Hisun Tactic 550 Power loss 
• Loud noise, CVT belt heating 
• Gas gauge stopped working 
• Blubbering, bogging

Common Hisun Sector 750 Problems reported

• Engine Reliability Issue in Hisun Sector 750 Crew 
• Overheating, Poor exhaust design causing heating 
• Starter, Water Pump, Water Loss, and Warranty Issues with Hisun HS750 Crew Cab
• Lack of service centers
• Shifter Problem 
• ECU switch fuse failure 
• Parts availability, Shutting down after heating 

Common Hisun 1000 Crew UTV problems reported 

• Frequent Stranding, Severe Jerking, Unreliable Operation, and Poor Support 
• Shifting issues 
• Stalling issues 
• QA issue from the manufacture, Fuel injector power plug was not plugged

Common Hisun 450 UTV problems reported 

• Broken Mirror and Damaged Cowl Issues with Sector 450 Purchase and Parts Availability
• Multiple breakdowns, drive shaft alignment issue, Jerking, grinding noises 
• Fuel injector replacement after 6000 km

The defective models, cheap materials, engine problems, error codes, and again lack of customer support are some common Hisun UTV problems. 

Common Hisun UTV complaints	Lack of customer support Lack of reliable service centers Cheap materials Difficulty in parts availability Engine Issues Starter Issues Driveshaft Failure Recurring issues one after another
Hisun UTV models to stay away from	Hisun 550, Hisun Sector 750, Hisun 450, Hisun 1000 crew

Key Takeaway: 

• Hisun has an image of “Cheap UTV” which in turn has become “it is made from cheap materials.” 
• Very poor customer support is very big factor. (Most of the complaints mention that customer support is ignorant, arrogant, useless)
• Hisun 550, Hisun Sector 750, Hisun 450 have multiple issues. 
• The common issues with Hisun UTV are Lack of reliable service centers, Cheap materials, Difficulty in parts availability, Engine Issues, Starter Issues, Driveshaft Failure, Recurring issues one after another 

2. Axis UTV 

Along with that the other UTVs manufactured under the label of Hisun such as Axis UTV are also having a good set of issues.

Axis UTV is produced by the Hisun Motors Corporation and it is not an old brand.

Though this UTV promises to come with solid features, there is lots of discussion about whether it is reliable or not. I would say it needs more time to establish its reliability. 

I have seen lots of problems about the Axis UTV and in recent years it has increased.

If you look at the sales data and then make the assumption then it would be a mistake.

Because, as they get funding and they are expanding the business, there will always be an increase in the sales or slight decrease in sales visible.

But in the long term it will become visible if the brand has got reliability or not. 

One of the issues for Axis UTV are very poor customer support, non responsive representatives. I have seen frustrated customers on one of the trusted portals like BBB, calling out Axis UTV customer service for not replying.

The people waited months for getting their UTVs repaired, spent lots of money and then the customer service delay. 

Common issues with AXIS UTVs are engine issues, battery issues, problems with gear shifting, delays in repair, lack of customer support.

And this brand is getting lots of complaints, so it is wise to stay away from this Axis UTV brand for now and look for something better. 

Once this brand establishes reliability in the market, you can go for it, but for now you should not go for Axis UTV.  Here are some common issues customers have frequently reported for the Axis 700, Axis 500 and Axis 750. 

Common Axis 700 problems reported

• Defective Axis 700 4×4: Jerking, Engine Shutdown, and Extended Repairs with Poor Customer Support
• Charging Issues and Lack of Support for Axis 700 Repair
• Misfire, stalling, issues with engaging in gears 
• Lack of customer support 

Common Axis 500 problems reported 

• Poor Customer support, lack of communication, Mismanagement of information, delay in repairs
• Battery drain within 60 days (Multiple issues reported)
• Driveshaft Failure and Performance Issues with Hisun Axis 500
• Grinding noise on reverse 
• No dealer support 
• Sputtering and Missing (Less than 10 hours on Axis 500 )
• Stuck in neutral 
• Blown Head Gasket, Extended Repair Delays, and Lack of Communication

Common Axis 750 problems reported 

• Oxygen Sensor Error Code Issue with AXIS 750 ATV
• Customer Service and Support Issues with AXIS 750 ATV

Common Axis UTV complaints	Grinding noise on reverse/decelerationSupttering, stalling engineDelays in repairLack of customer support, poor repair service
Axis UTV models to stay away from	Axis 700, Axis 500 (Some issues with axis 750 but still it is good among other axis UTVs)

Key Takeaway: 

• Axis UTV models to stay away from are Axis 700 and Axis 500
• Some of the common problems with Axis UTV are Grinding noise on reverse/deceleration, Supttering, stalling engine, Delays in repair, Lack of customer support, poor repair service
• Brand is new, and with so many complaints thus it is wise to not consider Axis for now. 

3. Massimo UTV

Massimo UTV is a known brand but it is a new brand. It is standing against the large brands such as Polaris, Honda etc. However, lots of people have shown trust on the Massimo UTV and purchased these vehicles. 

But, there are some models from massimo which are reported to have multiple issues, defects. And when I researched there were tons of complaints about it. I think the problem is the supply chain and manufacturing quality control. 

The customer support is lacking to tackle issues and there are lots of issues in delivery. Many customers have reported that they received the UTV with damaged parts, missing parts. 

Some frequent issues with massimo UTV are damaged or faulty product delivery, gear shifting issues, spark plug issues, grinding noise, missing parts, lack of customer support.    

Here are some issues about the Massimo UTV which are frequently reported by people.  

Common Massimo UTV problems reported 

• Faulty and damaged UTV delivery of Massimo Warrior 700 UTV at wrong address (ordered from ebay) and customer support refused to provide replacements, suggested to fabricate windshields to customer themselves 
• Massimo T boss 750 starter issues 
• 2021 Massimo T-Boss 550F shifting issues 
• MSU 500 Spark plug issues, fuse issues, difficulty in parts availability 
• MSU 500 Not starting , No spark 
• Grinding noise while shifting 
• Gears won’t crank 
• Massimo 550 UTV delivered in non working condition
• Massimo T boss stopped working (30 hours on it )
• Massimo T boss 750X had difficulty in shifting gears and stuck in reverse gear. Multiple times the customer support (lone star) delayed the thing for more than 2 months (UTV was at lone star for 2 months) and then after complaining to BBB, business support person accepted that the mechanical issues  cannot be resolved and then they agreed to replace the Massimo T boss 750x with a new one. 
• Lots of damaged product delivery complaints, also missing parts 
• Delay and ignorance in the responses from customer support

Looking at all these issues, I would suggest to stay away from Massimo UTV brand for now. It is a new brand and has lots of issues.

Give this brand to produce high quality UTVs, till then don’t touch them. In that budget with some additional money, you can buy a UTV from a trusted brand. 

Common Massimo UTV complaints	Delivery issues (Damaged product delivery, missing parts, wrong address)Gears and shifting issues Spark plug, starter issues Lack of customer support Delivery of product with factory fault
Massimo UTV models to stay away from	Massimo T boss 550 , MSU 500

Key Takeaway: 

1. Massimo  UTV models to stay away from are Massimo T boss 550 , MSU 500
2. Some of the common problems with Axis UTV are Delivery issues, lack of customer support, missing parts, gear shifting problems, starter issues
3. It is a new brand and has lots of issues.

4. Textron UTV

I would not have said this, if you asked me a few years ago. It was supposed to be a comeback of arctic cat, but it did not happen to that extent. 

Coming to present, there are lots of complaints about the textron UTV, multiple recalls of the UTV with the manufacturing defects, issues in the parts of the UTV and what not. 

The main issue here with Textron UTV is its decreasing reliability, and poor quality products. When a new brand comes, it does not have reliability and over the year it builds up reliability. But in the case of textron, it already had the reliability and brand value but over the years it has declined, as far as forums and discussions with the UTV owners tell. 

The frequent issues reported by customers about the textron UTV are multiple recalls, clutch issues, gear shifting issues, heating and engine issues, suspension issues. 

Common Textron Stampede problems reported  

• Clutch issues 
• Shifting gears issues 
• Recall (Lower arm suspension failure)
• Engine not start 
• Heating issues, loss of power issues
• EPS issues, Winch issues , water pump issues 

Common Textron arctic cat prowler pro problems reported 

• Recall due to false “park” light on the vehicles’ digital dash (Prowler pro)
• Prowler Pro Recall due to leakage of fuel tank cap 
• 2019 Prowler Pro 800 Starting issues 
• Textron prowler EV making Noise
• Clutch issues, Issues with, Gear shifting issues 
• Poor customer service  

Common Tracker 800SX problems reported 

• Recall due to fuel tank may not fit properly
• Recall due to “park” light on the vehicles’ digital dash
• Suspension problems 
• Shifting issues
• Clutch issues 

As there are multiple issues and recalls recently, you should stay away from UTV brand like Textron UTV. In that you should stay away from textron prowler pro, tracker 800SX, Textron stampede. However, prowler is a well known model, but considering the bad time for this model and multiple issues reported, I would stay away from the model for now. 

Common Textron UTV complaints	Manufacturing defects Recalls due to hazards (Raises concerns)Crash hazard, Fuel leakage Suspension, engine, clutch issuesShifting issues Heating issues
Textron UTV models to stay away from	Textron Prowler Pro, Textron Pro, Textron Stampede, Tracker 800SX

Key Takeaway:

• It already had the reliability and brand value but over the years it has declined, as far as forums and discussions with the UTV owners tell. 
• Textron Prowler Pro, Textron Pro, Textron Stampede, Tracker 800SX are textron UTV brands to stay away from. 
• Multiple recalls of the Textron UTVs in recent years raises concerns. 

5. John Deere UTV 

John Deere gator UTV is one of my favorites for farming. I have spent lots of time on this UTV, I used it for farming mostly. This is one of the reputed brands and it is a well known brand. 

However, there are recent recalls of the UTV which raises concerns. Also some models from the brand have multiple issues with transmission, clutch, gear shifting. 

Here are some common problems reported by customers for John Deere UTVs. So the John deere gator UTV brands you should stay away from are John Deere Gator 825i, John Deere Gator XUV 855D, John Deere 550 S4 and other XUV series with multiple recalls. 

Common John Deere UTV problems reported

• 550 S4 UTV clutch, transmission issues, Shifting issues 
• Recall due to front bell crank in the brake linkage failing chances, crash hazard 
• John Deere™ XUV590E, XUV590M and XUV590M S4 Gator™ utility vehicles fuel leakage hazard 
• John Deere Gator Fuel pump issues 

Parameter	Details
Common John Deere UTV complaints	Clutch issues Transmission issuesShifting issuesRecalls (Affects vehicle eliability) Fuel pump issues
John Deere  UTV models to stay away from	John Deere Gator 825i, John Deere Gator XUV 855D, John Deere 550 S4 and other XUV series with multiple recalls

Key takeaways: 

• Very well reputed brand but some models have lots of complaints.
• The recent recalls of John Deere Gator models raises concerns and affects reliability
• There are common John Deere gator UTV complaints, which includes Clutch, transmission issues, shifting issues, fuel pump issues etc. 

Conclusion: 

In conclusion I will say, Hisun, Axis, Massimo, Textron and John Deere gator are some brands you should stay away from in 2024.

The main reasons for this are many customer complaints, multiple recalls and recurring and unresolved issues with the UTVs.

I would not say to boycott these brands and not to consider that these brands produce worse UTVs, it is not the intent.

The intent is to help you people save money and make informed decisions. 

If I can dare to talk openly about these UTV brands to stay away from, then you should not hesitate to like this post and comment your opinions. It would be a great reward. Thank you. 

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