According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), twelve quad bike models in Polaris’ ‘youth’ range were recalled, as they were found to have brake pads, brake shoes, gaskets and washers which contained asbestos. That's about 13,000 Polaris quad bikes which needed to be recalled by the manufacturer.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) was working closely with the ACCC and other members of the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA) “Imported Materials with Asbestos Working Group” after the quad bikes tested positive for asbestos. “As part of the ABF’s increased operational focus on detecting asbestos at the border, we have held seven consignments of Polaris quad bikes at the border over the past six months to assess them for the risk of asbestos,” a spokesperson said. “Testing has seen some brake pads test positive for traces of asbestos. The ABF is working with the importer to ensure all future products entering Australia comply with Australia’s strict asbestos border controls. Where necessary, any further imports will be held at the border and tested to confirm they do not contain asbestos.”

Although the presence of asbestos in quad bike parts was unlikely to present a safety risk while riding, the issue is being treated extremely seriously and authorities are working with Polaris to gather all relevant information that enables a fast, efficient remediation of any bikes that contain possible contaminated parts. The presence of asbestos in quad bike parts is considered more likely to present a safety risk to consumers who do home mechanical work on their quad bikes, and to employees who repair and service quad bikes.

The ABF continue to work diligently to ensure that Australia is free of abestos contaminated imports.