K & N finally issues a recall for defective KN 204 filters

ITEMS COVERED BY THIS RECALL
This recall applies only to KN-204 oil filters manufactured between March 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016. The KN-204 oil filters covered by this recall have manufacturing date codes imprinted on the ends of the filters that contain as the second and third characters of the code the number/letter combinations of 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H or 9H, with the number corresponding to the month of the year (i.e., 3 for the month of March, 4 for the month of April, etc.) and the letter "H" representing the year 2016. KN-204 oil filters manufactured outside of that date range and which bear different manufacturing date codes are not covered by this recall. The date code can be found as shown in the photograph below. In this photo, the relevant character combination is "7H", which indicates the oil filter was manufactured in July 2016.

KN-204 Recall Date Code

WHY WE ARE TAKING THIS ACTION
K&N has discovered that in certain KN-204 oil filters manufactured between March 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016, oil can leak at the area where a nut (intended for use to remove the oil filter during routine oil changes) was welded to the bottom of the filter canister. If there is such a leak, oil could come into contact with the rear tire or rear brake of the motorcycle on which the filter was installed. If this were to occur, it could lead to a loss of control or a crash. Therefore, K&N is offering to replace the affected oil filters at no charge. This offer of a free replacement also applies to those covered KN-204 oil filters that were purchased for use in an application other than a motorcycle, such as an ATV or PWC (personal watercraft).

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
K&N is in the process of finalizing the recall process and procedures for the KN-204 Powersports oil filter manufactured between March 1 and September 30, 2016. No other K&N oil filters are affected by or included in this recall. Once the process and procedures are finalized, K&N will send formal notification of the recall to owners/consumers (for whom K&N has contact information) and to dealers/distributors and begin the implementation of the recall. Please check this website periodically for further details and updates concerning the recall. In the meantime, please inspect the end of your KN-204 oil filter for a 6-character manufacturing date code that contains the month and year of manufacture, as shown in the above photograph. If your KN-204 oil filter contains the character combinations of 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H or 9H, then it was manufactured between March 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016, and is included in the recall. Oil filters with any other second and third character combinations or part number are not covered by the recall. IF YOU HAVE VERIFIED THAT YOU HAVE A KN-204 OIL FILTER INSTALLED ON YOUR MOTORCYCLE OR POWERSPORT MACHINE THAT HAS ONE OF THE SEVEN LISTED DATE CODES, THEN DO NOT OPERATE IT, UNTIL THE OIL FILTER IS REPLACED.