4. KINGDA KA (Six Flags Great Adventure)

STATUS: Back up and launching…

The story of Top Thrill Dragster has been a turbulent one, matched only by its one and only sister ride, Kingda Ka. Clearly meant as Six Flags’ solution for winning back the title of “world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster,” Kingda Ka has had plenty of its own issues, including several periods of months-long closures. One might’ve expected that Top Thrill Dragster’s 2021 issues would cause Six Flags to suspend operation of their own stratacoaster, but Kingda Ka has continued to operate…

Until June 2023. Right as El Toro was readying for its return after a lengthy closure, Kingda Ka closed itself. Photos surfaced of what appeared to be (but has never been confirmed as) a snapped launch cable. It’s not necessarily unheard of for the launch cables on Intamin Accelerators to finally fray after hundreds of high-tension, high-speed reeling-and-unreeling day after day. (In fact, the problematic launch cable issue is one reason fans suspect Cedar Point’s own Top Thrill Dragster could be switching to a friction-less electromagnetic launch system in its design.)

Still, the frustration of yet another massive ride closure seemingly out of the blue just added to the weirdness of coaster issues we seem to be in the midst of. Thankfully, Kingda Ka did manage to re-open after just a month (somewhat confirming that the issue was a fixable, mechanical one). But its reopening was just in time for a coaster closure that captured the media’s attention in a very big way…

5. FURY 325 (Carowinds)

STATUS: Braced for repair

On the whole face of the Earth, only six full-circuit coasters have ever been classified as “gigacoasters” – with a height between 300 and 399 feet. One of the most interesting is Fury 325 at Carowinds. Though fans haven’t exactly fallen in love with B&M’s take on the gigacoaster model (which critics claim relies too heavily on the manufacturer’s out-and-back, airtime-hill focused hypercoaster model, just bigger), Fury seems to be an exception. That makes sense since its layout mixes in unexpected banking, speed runs, and low-to-the-ground elements that help it stand out from B&M hypers.

Massive crack on Fury 325 at #Carowinds. I emailed the park and they told me, "The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed." Credit Jeremy Wagner pic.twitter.com/YrP0zhm3kJ

— Kaitlin Wright (@wxkaitlin) July 1, 2023

On June 30, video footage emerged of a full, oblique fracture through one of the coaster’s steel supports, just where the track is bolted on. Obviously, Carowinds halted operation of Fury 325 immediately upon being informed of the break (located on a support beam fan out in the ride’s out-and-back course). Online detective work and incidental photos retroactively suggest that a visible crack had been slowly growing at the stress point over the course of at least a week, but the video footage of the fully detached track with a train racing along it was certainly a staggering visual.

It’s an especially surprising error for B&M – Cedar Fair’s apparent preferred coaster manufacturer precisely because of their renowned quality and consistency versus the more experimental, issue-prone, and technologically-complex creations of Intamin.

At present, Carowinds has braced the support with what appears to be welded steel plates. But of course, the ride isn’t running. Thankfully, a statement released by Carowinds on July 6 (above) gives a peek into their plans, confirming that a new support is being manufactured, after which time the ride will be re-commissioned through an extensive testing process (including running 500 ride cycles and getting final approvals from B&M).

We don't yet know when Fury 325 will be back up and running, though the park's statement seems to indicate that it could happen quickly. Thankfully, the "redundancies" the park cites did indeed work to keep riders safe in what could otherwise have been a catastrophic incident. 

6. XCELERATOR (Knott's Berry Farm)

STATUS: Freshly painted, standing, and not operating…

Given that both Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka have both made our list, it may seem like we’re picking on Intamin by now including Xcelerator at Knott’s Berry Farm. But even if it’s often overlooked, this ride’s ongoing closure remains one of the most long-running and notable in the industry.

Sure, like its (much bigger) sisters, Xcelerator has had its own issues. The most notable was in 2009 when its launch cable frayed mid-ride, spraying riders with metal shards and leading to an eight month closure. It was then closed for nearly the entirety of 2017 for maintenance. In October 2021, the ride was closed for a repaint.

It only re-opened briefly until closing again in March 2022. The park reported that it was awaiting a replacement part… but more than a year later, fans are beginning to wonder if Xcelerator has been quietly retired altogether… Given Cedar Fair’s issues with Dragster, it’s fair to wonder if they’ve simply decided that this model isn’t worth the upkeep. The result is that the freshly-painted ride has been standing but not operating for a very long time, making this particular closure a very odd one indeed…