I guess it was only a matter of time, especially after the Wall Street Journal article we mentioned a while back. The other day I was watching TV, and what came on the screen was a “YAMAHA RHINO ALERT!” ad from a trial lawyer firm looking to put together a class-action lawsuit against Yamaha, manufacturer of the popular Yamaha Rhino utility vehicle. (A quick Google search of “Yamaha Rhino Trial Lawyers” nets 6,800+ results.)

While Stihl got a cool mention in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago for its dealer relationships, Yamaha recently found itself front and center in an in-depth WSJ article about pending utility vehicle regulation. There’s nothing like being used as a major media example—the “poster child” for a given issue—to set off alarms in corporate offices and boardrooms.

The chosen product in this case is the Yamaha Rhino, a popular utility vehicle that sold 42,000 units in 2007. Seems accidents involving the Rhino have added up to 30 deaths and more than 200 state and federal lawsuits, according to the article. Voluntary federal safety regulations for ATVs are going mandatory next year, but UTVs, with their steering wheels and more automotive designs, have largely escaped safety regulations.