Tukwila manufacturer recalls 30,000-plus motorcycle helmets
TUKWILA, Wash. - Vega Helmet Corp. of Tukwila is recalling more than 30,000 XTS motorcycle helmets after testing found that a few did not meet crash protection safety standards.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said people using the helmets may not be adequately protected in a crash. The recall will start in late January and centers on large, extra-large and extra-extra-large (or XXL) helmets. The models in question were made between May 2011 and last October, according to a notice posted Saturday on the NHTSA's web site.
Vega, based in Tukwila, Wash., said it will replace the recalled helmets.
The NHTSA told Vega that four extra-large helmets didn't meet safety standards when tested earlier this year. The company investigated and found that the helmets fell out of compliance partially due to changes in the model's shell design. Vega told regulators that the helmet's design would be reconfigured immediately.
Vega doesn't know how many of the helmets in the recalled population failed to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard so the company is recalling all of them, according to a letter from an attorney representing the company to an NHTSA official.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said people using the helmets may not be adequately protected in a crash. The recall will start in late January and centers on large, extra-large and extra-extra-large (or XXL) helmets. The models in question were made between May 2011 and last October, according to a notice posted Saturday on the NHTSA's web site.
Vega, based in Tukwila, Wash., said it will replace the recalled helmets.
The NHTSA told Vega that four extra-large helmets didn't meet safety standards when tested earlier this year. The company investigated and found that the helmets fell out of compliance partially due to changes in the model's shell design. Vega told regulators that the helmet's design would be reconfigured immediately.
Vega doesn't know how many of the helmets in the recalled population failed to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard so the company is recalling all of them, according to a letter from an attorney representing the company to an NHTSA official.
Good. A manufacturer backing their product up. If one looks at the yearly random testing done, nearly every helmet manufacturer has failures including Arai, Shoei, AGV, HJC, etc. Not one company has escaped clean. The fact that Vega is doing this speaks well for them.
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obtw, I own Icon/Shoei/AGV/THH helmets so I'm not beholden to any one brand.
Wo cares as long the riders have to be organ donors, it really doesn't matter what they wear.
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 @slappywag  @Common Sense "the 405" ?
No model numbers mentioned too bad. Not many will re-read this for more info. Could it be all XL ad XXL? Sheesh!
Didn't anyone read that article from last year that was in Sport Bike or one of the other larger publications? It tested helmets across the range and found that the cheaper helmets were just as safe as the more expensive ones. This caused a huge uproar with the more expensive motorcycle helmet manufacturers.  If a helmet meets safety reg's they are the same usually as the more expensive helmets. Most of the time you are paying more for quality than safety such as wind noise, fit and finish, NAME BRAND, etc.  Look it up. Â
@MoodSwingsMcGee is tru, but my $800 Arai Helmet is lighter and fits my head perfectly than any of the "cheaper" helmet and it meets European standards.
Not surprised - if they're anything like the product of theirs I used to sell back at the turn of the decade, they simply supported the "you get what you pay for" philosophy - not very impressed.Â
LOTS of bargain-line, low-price-point helmets out there, because there is a huge market for them - people simply don't want to dish out several hundred dollars for a quality lid. Great for dealer's bottom line, but that's about it....
@Throbbinhood  Well the system worked right? I mean, these helmets have to meet specs that continue to get more and more intense each year. So at least we know the regulations are working.Â
@lakeview If they're only striving to meet U.S. "DOT" criteria, that is and has been a joke all in itself. It isn't saying much. If these helmets, and the others on its level, were pretty rough on the edges 12 years ago, I can only imagine (not having one to see) the latest & greatest incarnations of these wouldn't be much more impressive.
@Throbbinhood Their website says that they meet the Euro specs too. I know personally from auto cross and SCCA racing that even a helmet from a few years ago won't cut it for certain events. The standards improve all the time.Â
 @Throbbinhood There is no reason to skimp on a motorcycle helmet for the street much less a helmet used for automotive competition.
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But, if you have a $10 head, then just buy a $10 helmet.
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 @Veteran  @Throbbinhood Did you forget the part where low priced helmets often have just as much protection as their expensive competition?  Price does not dictate the amount of protection a helmet offers.  Generally you pay more for comfort and style, but not protection.
@Veteran "..if you have a $10 head, then just buy a $10 helmet..."
I enjoyed selling stickers that said that, too.... How true
 @Throbbinhood A quality helmet from Schuberth saved my life in a motorcycle accident. Afterward there was one totally trashed helmet and one completely intact face and skull.
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Saving money on a motorcycle helmet is a bad idea.
 @Iconoclast  @ThrobbinhoodÂ
I love my Schuberth. So many good things about the product and the customer service is top notch. At the Redmond BMW rally a couple years ago, they replaced the face shield and liner on the spouses C2 for free. They sent a couple of free replacement vent sliders when mine broke. If you crash, they'll replace the helmet at a discounted price. Doesn't matter that the C3W I wear costs $800. I love the helmet and my brain is worth it.
 @Desiree Gutierrez I sent them a pics of the helmet afterwards. Just looked at them again--just amazing that I walked away just disoriented. EMT was convinced I had a concussion (as well as a number of broken bones) but Harborview said "you're good, get outa here".