Mercury joystick system recalled over ghost steering glitch
Software glitch prompts a call for owners to stay tied up rather than risk a loss of steering controlBoat owners using a specific version of Mercury’s joystick piloting system have been told to stay tied up at the dock over fears their vessels could start steering themselves.
The marine engine maker late last week published a voluntary product safety recall for versions of its joystick piloting system built for outboard, pod and sterndrive engines since 2016. It said a glitch in the joystick system’s software used to track the steering wheel’s position could return the wrong reading.
The recall notice says this “may lead to unintended steering of the vessel”. Mercury Marine said the problem is linked to an electric steering helm sensor, affecting just nine owners here in Australia, all of which had been contacted.
A loss of steering may increase the risk of an accident and injury, the recall notice says. No instances of boats losing control have been recorded in Australia.
"Design 2" joysticks
The recall relates to a certain “Design 2” version of the piloting system that uses a black housing around the joystick.
“Design 1” versions of the joystick piloting system that have a chrome surround are unaffected, Mercury says, but it has asked owners to contact the marine engine maker via email quoting the serial numbers of engines linked to the system.
Models built between January 1, 2016 and April 30, 2019 and covered by the product safety recall include:
- All Mercury Racing joystick piloting for outboard models that use Design 2 joysticks
- All joystick piloting for outboard models that use Design 2 joysticks
- All Mercury MerCruiser joystick piloting for sterndrive models that use Design 2 joysticks
- All Mercury MerCruiser electric steering for sterndrive models
- All Mercury Racing joystick piloting for sterndrive models that use Design 2 joysticks
- All Design 2 joystick piloting for sterndrive diesel and Zeus pod-equipped vessels
The recall notice says owners who believe their systems are affected can contact Mercury Marine customer service on (03) 9791 5822 from Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 4.30pm AEST, or via email at merc.info@mercmarine.com.
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