$500 ARRMA Burned Out in 2 Minutes – Buyer Beware
UPDATE – August 14, 2026 I’m updating my original review because Horizon Hobby has now contacted me and sent replacement parts. I appreciate them doing that, and I want to be fair and acknowledge that they did eventually make an effort to help. However, it does not change my overall opinion of this purchase or make me satisfied with how everything was handled. I spent around $500 on an ARRMA RC vehicle through Horizon Hobby that is advertised as “Ready to Run.” In my experience, it was more like “Ready to Fix.” The vehicle burned out within approximately 2–3 minutes of its very first use. It wasn’t modified or abused before the failure. I barely had an opportunity to enjoy what I purchased before I was dealing with a broken RC vehicle. When I originally contacted Horizon Hobby, I expected a replacement or the ability to return a brand-new product that failed almost immediately. Instead, I was told a return wasn’t an option, and the replacement part I needed was on backorder. My order was delivered July 4th. Roughly a month went by while my $500 “Ready to Run” RC vehicle sat unusable. After getting nowhere with the situation, I decided to leave detailed reviews in three different places describing my experience. After those reviews were posted, Horizon Hobby contacted me and replacement parts were sent. I can’t say what happened internally or know for certain what caused them to reach out when they did. However, from my perspective, it felt like publicly sharing my negative experience got a much quicker response than my original complaint as a paying customer. I wish the same effort had been made when I first contacted them rather than roughly a month later. There’s also something I think potential buyers should understand about the resolution: they sent me parts to repair the vehicle myself. I’m a customer, not an RC mechanic. I didn’t spend around $500 because I wanted a repair project. I bought something advertised as “Ready to Run” because I wanted to open it, drive it, and enjoy it. While installing the replacement parts, I ended up stripping the final bolt near the motor/gears. I accept responsibility for stripping that bolt during the installation. But this is exactly why I’m frustrated with the resolution. I never expected to be disassembling and repairing a practically brand-new $500 RC vehicle that failed within minutes of its first use. I shouldn’t have had to look forward to figuring out how to repair my new RC car. I wanted to look forward to playing with it. I understand defective products happen. My issue isn’t simply that I received a defective vehicle—it’s the entire experience afterward. When something this expensive fails within the first few minutes, I believe the customer should be taken care of quickly instead of spending weeks waiting for parts and then being expected to perform the repair themselves. So yes, Horizon Hobby eventually contacted me and sent the replacement parts, and I appreciate that. I’m not going to leave that information out just because I’m unhappy. But it doesn’t erase the month I spent unable to use my purchase, and it doesn’t change my opinion of the overall experience. Based on what happened to me, I still cannot recommend this purchase. Anyone considering spending hundreds of dollars on an ARRMA through Horizon Hobby should understand what the warranty process may involve if something goes wrong. For me, “Ready to Run” turned into “Ready to Fix” within 2–3 minutes.