If you read a review of the Yamaha Kodiak 450, you’ll see how these models have proven to be some of the most durable and dependable ATVs on the planet, even dating back to early models.
If you keep up with the maintenance, you’ll almost never find your Kodiak 450 in the shop, which is one of the main reasons they consistently make the list of best ATVs for the money.
While the Kodiak 450 never saw a change like the one that negatively affected the bigger Yamaha Kodiak 700, these models aren’t quite perfect.
They definitely have fewer drawbacks than most, but there are still a handful of common problems that occur in the Kodiak 450.
The most common issues that affect this model are:
- Blown fuel pump fuses causing the ATV not to start
- Side footwells breaking
- Not shifting into Park all the way
- Steering tie rods failing
This guide will detail each problem and which models they tend to affect, along with proven fixes for each.
Blown Fuel Pump Fuses
The 2020 and 2021 Kodiak 450’s are known to have an issue with their stock fuel pumps, where the fuel pump draws slightly more amps than it can handle and blows the 10-amp fuel pump fuse.
This usually occurs when you’re starting up your quad, and once it does your quad will not start until it’s fixed.
The issue here is with the fuel pump, not the fuse, as even replacing the 10-amp fuse with one that can handle more amps such as a 15-amp fuse will likely lead to the replacement blowing as well.
And only some units were installed with these faulty fuel pumps, so it’s hard to know if it’ll happen to your Kodiak 450 or not.
Fix
Word on the street is that Yamaha is well aware of this issue, and has issued a sort of “quiet technical service bulletin” on the matter.
Meaning, they likely won’t acknowledge to you that this a recurring issue (since they can’t narrow down specific units it may happen to), but if you take your ATV in for repair after your fuse blows they should replace the fuel pump on their dime.
So if you run into this issue, either take your Kodiak in to have the repair made or replace the fuel pump yourself if you don’t want your quad sitting in the shop waiting on the replacement to come in.
Side Footwells Breaking
The footwells in the Kodiak 450 are looked at as one of the pros of this machine, as they provide excellent grip for your feet when cornering.
But the reinforcement webbing that surrounds these footwells is made of plastic, and while the gripping is good, the overall strength of the material isn’t great.
The front tires are known to kick up sticks while out trail riding, and those sticks occasionally break through and put puncture holes in these footwells.
Some owners have reported that even just stepping on the very outside edge of these footwells with all of your weight can break them as well.
This is also a known problem with the Kodiak 700.
Fixes
The only real fix for this is to install some aluminum skid plates for these footwells, which will shield them from sticks and strengthen them to be able to handle any amount of weight.
Ricochet Offroad makes aluminum floorboard skid plates specifically for the Kodiak 450 and Kodiak 700 that will solve this problem for your quad.
Not Shifting Into Park All The Way
There are times with the Kodiak 450 where you’ll be on a slight incline and go to shift the gear shift into the Park setting, and it won’t seem to fully engage into Park.
If you let off the brake you’ll sometimes experience your Kodiak rolling and making a clicking noise until it catches in Park, which will really give you a good, quick scare.
You’ll also notice that your Park gear indicator light won’t display, which will give you a hint that your Park gear is not fully engaged and locked.
Fixes
This almost always signals a problem with your shift linkage transferring out of the correct position.
Usually, if you give your ATV a slight rock back and forth when this happens, the Park setting will fully engage pretty quickly and you’ll see the Park gear indicator light come on.
But to fix the issue permanently, you’ll need to locate your shift linkage and move it back to its correct position.
This should eliminate the issue and the gear shift should slide into Park and engage easily as it should.
Steering Tie Rods Failing
This issue is specific to only 2005 Kodiak 450’s of all trims, and there was a recall issued towards the end of 2005 for it.
The tie rods in the steering system were prone to failing due to the protective boots that cover the ends (universal joints) potentially being pinched during installation or adjustment, leading to a hole being cut in the rubber.
When this occurred, grease would escape and debris like sand or mud could find its way into the assembly through this hole, eventually wearing down the tie rod ends.
This would generally lead to lots of free play in the steering, and if not repaired, would eventually lead to tie rod ends separating and a total loss of steering control.
Fix
Yamaha covered the repair under warranty, notifying owners of affected Kodiaks that they should bring in their units immediately.
If you are looking at purchasing a 2005 Kodiak 450, or are simply an owner, you may want to check your VIN number against this recall to ensure the fix was made.
Final Word
As you can see, the problems that affect the Kodiak 450 are minimal as Yamaha is known to pump out some of the highest-quality off-road vehicles you can find.
The Yamaha Grizzly is right up there with the Kodiak models, although a comparison of the Kodiak vs Grizzly shows some distinct differences that give one the upper hand.
