The Stihl MS661 C-M recall

[KenJax Tree]

Wow Bob another man to man talk. I just read about the one you were supposed to have with Hokey Tree and now this one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[windthrown]

The latest global updates on the 661:

The new Stihl catalog in Oz shows the release of the 661 will be in the "Winter of 2014." Which would mean summer of 2014 up here.


Photo ripped off from VinceGU05

 

[windthrown]

On the German site that I read, they posted this reply from Stihl yesterday regarding the 661 (March 19):

Ich zitiere

:

"Bei den Motorsägen Modellen STIHL MS 661 und MS 661 C traten im Rahmen von begleitenden Qualitätsuntersuchungen in unserem Entwicklungszentrum an einigen Motorsägen Ausfälle auf.
Aus diesem Grund hat sich STIHL entschlossen, die Auslieferung der genannten Motorsägen vorübergehend zu stoppen. An einer technischen Lösung arbeitet STIHL. Wir bedauern die Unannehmlichkeiten und bitten um Ihr Verständnis. Leider können wir Ihnen zum heutigen Zeitpunkt noch keinen verbindlichen Liefertermin nennen. Bitte wenden Sie sich an Ihren Fachhändler, der Sie informieren möchte, sobald die STIHL MS 661 lieferbar ist."

Which loosely translated means:

I quote

:

"Failures/faults were found in some STIHL MS661 and MS 661C model chainsaws during quality assurance investigations at our development center. As a result of these findings, STIHL has decided to temporarily stop the release of these model chainsaws. STIHL is now working on a technical solution. We regret the inconvenience and ask for your understanding. Unfortunately at present we do not have an exact timeline for a delivery date (for the 661). Please consult with your local Stihl chainsaw dealer as to when the STIHL MS661 will be available."

I was not aware that there is a non-Mtronic 661 available. Amusing... this is the official line from Stihl, through Germany anyway. It is the same as what Stihl reps are saying in the UK.

 

[Gologit]

Unfortunately at present we do not have an exact timeline for a delivery date for the 661. Please consult with your local Stihl chainsaw dealer as to when the STIHL MS661 will be available."

..

In other words, Stihl is saying "We're not going to tell you what the problems are and we're not going to publish an availability date and why don't you go bug the hell out of your poor long suffering local saw shop about it (who doesn't know anything because we're not talking to him either) and leave us alone".

That about sum it up?

 

[windthrown]

That about sum it up?

Yup. There is really nothing new about thee 661 from either the UK or Germany. 660s seem to be flowing to the UK again though. They are also on the shelves here again too.

 

[Milkweed Seed]

Usually no news, is good news. Not the case here IMO

 

[Rockjock]

On the German site that I read, they posted this reply from Stihl yesterday regarding the 661 (March 19):

Ich zitiere

:

"Bei den Motorsägen Modellen STIHL MS 661 und MS 661 C traten im Rahmen von begleitenden Qualitätsuntersuchungen in unserem Entwicklungszentrum an einigen Motorsägen Ausfälle auf.
Aus diesem Grund hat sich STIHL entschlossen, die Auslieferung der genannten Motorsägen vorübergehend zu stoppen. An einer technischen Lösung arbeitet STIHL. Wir bedauern die Unannehmlichkeiten und bitten um Ihr Verständnis. Leider können wir Ihnen zum heutigen Zeitpunkt noch keinen verbindlichen Liefertermin nennen. Bitte wenden Sie sich an Ihren Fachhändler, der Sie informieren möchte, sobald die STIHL MS 661 lieferbar ist."

Which loosely translated means:

I quote

:

"Failures/faults were found in some STIHL MS661 and MS 661C model chainsaws during quality assurance investigations at our development center. As a result of these findings, STIHL has decided to temporarily stop the release of these model chainsaws. STIHL is now working on a technical solution. We regret the inconvenience and ask for your understanding. Unfortunately at present we do not have an exact timeline for a delivery date (for the 661). Please consult with your local Stihl chainsaw dealer as to when the STIHL MS661 will be available."

I was not aware that there is a non-Mtronic 661 available. Amusing... this is the official line from Stihl, through Germany anyway. It is the same as what Stihl reps are saying in the UK.

forum.motorsaegen-portal.de is the official website for Stihl? Odd.. Stranger yet the saw is still for sale in many German dealers. But I suppose the April 5th Stihl demo event where you can come in and try out a saw will be absent the 661? nope it is being placed front and centre. Interesting indeed. I will do my best to have someone take a video.

 

[windthrown]

forum.motorsaegen-portal.de is the official website for Stihl? Odd.. Stranger yet the saw is still for sale in many German dealers. But I suppose the April 5th Stihl demo event where you can come in and try out a saw will be absent the 661? nope it is being placed front and centre. Interesting indeed. I will do my best to have someone take a video.

No, obviously YOU are the official spokesman for Stihl not... The German site is where a letter from Stihl was posted, which is pretty much exactly the same as the letter posted in the UK from a Stihl dealer in London. Which is the same story that they are telling most of us here in the US.

You are the only one that refutes any of this information, worldwide. I do not claim or say that you cannot get a new 661, or video one, as there are reported to be a few new 661s still out there on shelves. However, they are very few and far between. There are also some 661s out there being used from before the recall. However, for the vast majority of us, WORLDWIDE, the 661 is NOT AVAILABLE at this time, and the 660 is back in production and being sold. As stated over and over and over again, which you refute over and over again. Take all the vids you want, and then tell me why I cannot buy one here. And then tell them why they cannot buy them in Denmark, or Germany (again, you are the only one I have heard from that says they can be bought anywhere in Germany), or France, or Australia, or in the UK.

 

[MustangMike]

Windthrown is the best source for Stihl information and history that I have seen. Keep up the good work, I always enjoy reading the information you post. It is always accurate, unbiased and helpful.

 

[windthrown]

Well, for the RockJock from Canada, I posted the 661 availability question to the Stihl Corporation this afternoon. We shall see what the "official" answer to that is.

Note that the MS661 not listed as a recall in the USA. Only the D series and earlier flippy caps have a recall for potential warping from ethanol gas exposure and certain models of the MS391 power heads have a recall for cracked flywheels.

 

[windthrown]

forum.motorsaegen-portal.de is the official website for Stihl? Odd.. Stranger yet the saw is still for sale in many German dealers. But I suppose the April 5th Stihl demo event where you can come in and try out a saw will be absent the 661? nope it is being placed front and centre. Interesting indeed. I will do my best to have someone take a video.

Well, here yah go Rocky Jockey, straight from the horse's mouth. The OFFICIAL reply from Stihl regarding my request for information about the availability of the MS661 chainsaw.

Thanks for your E-mail and your interest in STIHL products.
According to the information I have here the MS661 should be released around Aug-Sept 2014.
I hope this helps and if I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Mark O’Briant
STIHL Inc. Technical Advisor

 

[dall]

lol yeah mark obriant isn't to helpful he answered a email from me not to long ago asking why took more then 2 weeks to get gaskets for ms362 from a dealer took the dealer here 3 weeks for the gaskets and another dealer 2 weeks so mark should try to help the consumer more then just give the I don't know answer

 

[windthrown]

Well, no one at Stihl is giving out much information about the 661, and I did not expect any details. The dates are in line with what others in the US, Germany, the UK and Oz have posted online (officially or otherwise).

On another thread on AS a person mentioned that a US Midwest regional Stihl rep admitted to him that it is the cylinders that are bad on some of the original 661s.

So... unofficially as an engineer, I would logically conclude that there were some bad cylinders on the original release of the 661s. After failure analysis by Stihl QA, the potentially defective cylinders were or are being redesigned by engineering and/or re-manufactured to some new specifications to avoid these failures in future. As a result of this, the timeline for the re-release of the MS661 is August-September, 2014. In the meantime the 660 is in production in Germany again and that saw is what is available in lieu of the 661 release in many places globally. Unless you happen into a Stihl shop that has a mythical pile of 661s available...

 

[Rockjock]

Well, here yah go Rocky Jockey, straight from the horse's mouth. The OFFICIAL reply from Stihl regarding my request for information about the availability of the MS661 chainsaw.

Thanks for your E-mail and your interest in STIHL products.
According to the information I have here the MS661 should be released around Aug-Sept 2014.
I hope this helps and if I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Mark O’Briant
STIHL Inc. Technical Advisor

Wait a moment I was not asking about the USA or Canada. My point was and is how can there be a recall when the saw is for sale in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Italy? Not just for sale but being sold as we speak. I think you are getting your back up for no reason. Now just because the saw is not coming to your neck of the woods does not mean there is a recall. As an engineer I am sure you can agree that IF the saw is being sold, then how can an engineer conclude that there is a problem? As an engineer you have to admit the answer to your email is not one of confirming or denying there was or is a recall but just that there will be a release in August or Sept. Also as an engineer can you tell me what the title of the thread is?

 

[MustangMike]

If there was not a problem with the 661s they would not have pulled them all and started selling 660s again. They were being sold here, now they are not.

 

[Rockjock]

If there was not a problem with the 661s they would not have pulled them all and started selling 660s again. They were being sold here, now they are not.

Mike that does make sense but as I have pointed out it IS being sold across the pond. The official letter said " According to the information I have here the MS661 should be released around Aug-Sept 2014 " not re-released. So explain to me how it is a recall? I am just curious.

 

[windthrown]

Wait a moment I was not asking about the USA or Canada. My point was and is how can there be a recall when the saw is for sale in Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Italy? Not just for sale but being sold as we speak. I think you are getting your back up for no reason. Now just because the saw is not coming to your neck of the woods does not mean there is a recall. As an engineer I am sure you can agree that IF the saw is being sold, then how can an engineer conclude that there is a problem? As an engineer you have to admit the answer to your email is not one of confirming or denying there was or is a recall but just that there will be a release in August or Sept. Also as an engineer can you tell me what the title of the thread is?

Sorry, but I posted several times about people that cannot get the 661 in Denmark. They were given 660s instead. They are not available in Italy or France either from what I have read. Where did you get that information? And I have posted over and over again that they are not available in Germany to many guys that live there. You can read the posts yourself on the German sites. In many cases in Europe, 661s were replaced with 660 saws in Germany, The UK and Denmark. I also posted a note above in German (from Stihl Germany) that says that they do not know when they will be available for sale there in Germany again. Perhaps you missed that? That was the reply sent to a German who asked (like I did) about the 661 saw availability in Germany. A similar note was sent in reply to people in the UK, from Stihl reps there.

If you want to split hairs about it being a recall, fine. I consider it a recall, as they were sent back to Germany from US distributors, and they were sent back to Germany from UK distributors. And by accounts of many in Germany, their 661 saws were sent back to the factory in Germany. It was voluntary, in that distributors and dealers were not required to send the saws back, but most did. In many cases, like GoLogIt posted in California, he was given a choice of accepting the original ordered 661 or waiting for the newer redesigned model that will be out in the Aug-Sept timeframe. He opted wisely for the newer redesigned 661.

You say that the saws are for readily available and for sale in Germany, Italy, Belgium, and The Netherlands, but I see no evidence of that. What I read on the German and UK sites is the same as what I read here in the US. That they are not available to buy there. Some of the original 661 saws that were sent out for distribution were kept by the buyers, shops and distributors. It was their choice to keep them or ship them back. Most were apparently shipped back. However, there are a few out there on shelves, and there are people that are running the original release 661 saws. But that is the great exception, not the rule here, there, or anyplace else.

 

[windthrown]

Mike that does make sense but as I have pointed out it IS being sold across the pond. The official letter said " According to the information I have here the MS661 should be released around Aug-Sept 2014 " not re-released. So explain to me how it is a recall? I am just curious.

The original first edition of the 661 has already been released here in the US. So the newer 661 would in fact be a second, or re-release.

 

[Rockjock]

Sadly I am not the only one stating that they are able to buy this saw. As I have said when I heard about this recall I was in contact a dealer in a town I was stationed in and he said he had the saw, he also went on to ask how many I wanted. I thought he is in a small town maybe it just did not get to him. But no that can't be.. there is a recall. So I called another dealer in a town that does quite a bit of timber felling. I was given the same answer. Odd I thought. Talked to my local dealer who said IF there was a recall it would be on Stihls system, there would be a recall number. he also pointed out that Europe seemed to get most things first, even his catalogue had no where near the items that the German, Dutch. Polish, Hungarian ones did ( I can only comment on those because I have seen them. ) So enough of the pissing match please. I have had people in the EU take me to task on this and they have been able to find the saw. I have been watching German TV and seen the adverts for the saw. I kinda think if there was a recall they would not be doing that.

But you are right there must be a recall.

 

[CapitaineHaddoc]

Many sellers near me have 661 in stock,

http://www.smpierrel.fr/boutique/tr...hermiques/product/271-ms-661-c-m-nouveau.html

http://www.smaf-touseau.com/fr/tron...se-thermique-2-chaines-offertes_15764#produit

But my usual Stihl dealer has never received any 661...