Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 1,426 complaints for KAWASAKI
Incident date: Oct 15, 2002
MOTOR AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING,NO WARNING. EVERY THING GOES DEAD. HAS A WHINNING AND VIBRATION IN MOTOR TRAIN. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. *NLM
Incident date: Oct 15, 2002
MOTOR AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING,NO WARNING. EVERY THING GOES DEAD. HAS A WHINNING AND VIBRATION IN MOTOR TRAIN. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. *NLM
Incident date: Jun 16, 2003
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING BIKE WILL SHUT OFF CAUSING CONSUMER TO PULL OVER. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
Incident date: May 24, 2003
AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT 100 MILES IN THE RAIN, HEADLIGHT FUSE BLEW, CAUSING THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS SIMILAR INCIDENTS DOCUMENTED ON WEBSITES. *JB
FRONT FORKS ARE BENT. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
Incident date: May 26, 2003
THE CLUTCH BRACKET FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. *JB
Incident date: Jun 4, 2003
THE DEALER REFUSED TO HONOR RECALL# 02V324000 CONCERNING OIL LEAKAGE ON KAWASAKI ZX12R 2002. CONCORD KAWASAKI 1395 GALINDO STREET, CONCORD, CA 94520. PHONE# 925 689 5770. SERVICE MANAGER: KEN.*AK
Incident date: May 13, 2003
COUNTER BALANCER ADJUSTER FAILURE. *NLM
THERE WAS A SLIGHT FRAME MISALIGNMENT ON A KAWASAKI, ZRX1200, 2003 MOTORCYCLE. WHICH MAY CAUSE THE FRONT TIRE TO SLIDE TO THE LEFT IN WET CONDITIONS.*AK
Incident date: May 16, 2003
THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE #03V140000 SUBJECT: REAR BRAKE ACTUATING CAM. THE CONSUMER CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER WHICH STATED NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *NLM
Incident date: May 13, 2003
2003 KAWASKI EX500-D10---I WAS RIDING DOWN THE ROAD AND AS I WAS DOWN SHIFTING THE FRONT WHEEL WENT ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHEN THE HANDLE BARS BROKE OFF IN MY HANDS, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TURN AND I RAN INTO THE DITCH AND WAS THROWN FROM THE BIKE AND BROKE MY WRIST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A DEFECTED MOTORCYCLE PART[ THIN HANDLE BARS ] THAT MY BODY WEIGHT COULD MAKE THEM BREAK WE HAV... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 16, 2003
THE TRIPLE CLAMP HAD BROKEN, WHICH HAD TORN INTO 2 PIECES. (MODEL ZX750) MR SCC *JB
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 5, 2003
BROKEN ENGINE PART ON 1999 KAWASAKI KLR 650 MOTORCYCLE. BALANCER TENSIONER LEVER ON THE IDLER SHAFT. KAW. PART NO. 131-1436. *NLM
Incident date: May 7, 2003
THE CARBURETORS NEEDLE VALVE BECAME CORRODED DUE TO A RUBBER TIP THAT CAME OFF, THEREFORE THE CARBURETOR OVER FLOWED AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. *NLM
Incident date: Feb 15, 2003
I HEARD ABOUT A FLAW OF THE ENGINE BALANCER SYSTEM OF THE KAWASAKI KLR650, I ASSUMED THAT MY ENGINE WAS OKAY, AS IT SEEMED TO BE RUNNING FINE, BUT THEN GAVE IN TO MY CURIOSITY, OPENED THE ENGINE CASES AND INSPECTED THE BALANCER MECHANISMS. SURE ENOUGH, JUST AS MANY OTHER KLR OWNERS HAD REPORTED, THE IDLER SHAFT WAS BROKEN. I HAD AN AFTER MARKET IDLER SHAFT THAT IS FORGED FROM ONE PIECE OF HIGH G... Read more
Incident date: Jul 19, 2002
WHILE RIDING ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK, I WENT TO SHIFT FROM ONE GEAR TO THE NEXT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT MADE A WEIRD SOUND LIKE A BALL BEARING BOUNCING AROUND INSIDE THE MOTOR, THAT'S THE BEST WAY THAT I COULD DESCRIBE THIS. I THEN QUICKLY REACTED AND PRESSED THE CLUTCH LEVER IN AND COASTED AND PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. SINCE THAT INCIDENT THE BIKE DOESN'T SHIFT THE SAME AND THE CLUTCH WOULD E... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2003
THE "TRIPLE TREE" (FORK CLAMP) CRACKED, WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE BIKE AND COLLIDED WITH A GUARD RAIL. THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED. MOTORCYCLE IS A 2003 KAWASAKI STREET RIDER ZX7RE. *JB *TT
Crash
1 injured
KAWASAKI
MEAN STREAK
(2002) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Apr 14, 2003
Incident date: Apr 11, 2003
CONSUMER TOOK MOTORCYCLE IN FOR RECALL REMEDY ON 03/18/03. HAD SPOKEN WITH DEALER SEVERAL TIMES REGARDING REMEDY COMPLETION. AS OF 04/11/03 THE DEALER ADVISED STILL WAITING ON PARTS. *JB
THE CONSUMER WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE REAR BRAKE WAS DEFECTIVE. (MODEL/NINJA) MR SCC
Crash
1 injured
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(2002) — SUSPENSION:FRONT
Mar 27, 2003
Incident date: Aug 7, 2002
THE FRONT END OF THE MOTORCYCLE MADE A LOUD NOISE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE MOTORCYCLE BY THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INDICATED THE FRONT WHEEL WAS WOBBLING AND THE SPACER BAR WAS MOBILE ALSO. THE SPACER BAR WAS TIGHTENED, HOWEVER 2 WEEKS LATER, THE FRONT END SEIZED UP AND THE BIKE FLIPPED OVER. *JB THE FRONT TIRE FAILED AND CAUSED THE BIKE TO FALL. THE CONSUMER HAS MADE REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT T... Read more
Crash
1 injured
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(2002) — TIRES
Mar 27, 2003
Incident date: Aug 7, 2002
THE FRONT END OF THE MOTORCYCLE MADE A LOUD NOISE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE MOTORCYCLE BY THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INDICATED THE FRONT WHEEL WAS WOBBLING AND THE SPACER BAR WAS MOBILE ALSO. THE SPACER BAR WAS TIGHTENED, HOWEVER 2 WEEKS LATER, THE FRONT END SEIZED UP AND THE BIKE FLIPPED OVER. *JB THE FRONT TIRE FAILED AND CAUSED THE BIKE TO FALL. THE CONSUMER HAS MADE REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT T... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 12, 2002
THE MOTORCYCLE LEAKED OIL OUT OF THE SHOCKS.*JB
Incident date: Feb 1, 2003
THE MOTORCYCLE COLLAPSED WHILE DRIVING. *JB
Incident date: Feb 10, 2003
BROKEN BALANCER CHAIN TENSIONER ON A 2001 KAWASAKI KLR650 MOTORCYCLE.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2003
FAILURE OF COUNTERBALANCE ADJUSTER. PART SHATTERED INTO THREE PIECES. ONE PIECE LOST IN CRANKCASE, REQUIRING FURTHER DIASSAMBLY OF ENGINE TO RECOVER
Incident date: Dec 24, 2002
WHILE TURNING CORNER AT 30 MPH, BACK TIRE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL DUE TO A OIL LEAKAGE, RESULTING IN CONSUMER HITT A TREE AND MOTORCYCLE WAS TOTALED. A WEEK LATER THE CONSUMER RECIEVED A RECALL NOTICE ON OIL LEAKAGE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
Crash
Incident date: Dec 24, 2002
WHILE TURNING CORNER AT 30 MPH, THE BACK TIRE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL DUE TO A OIL LEAKAGE, RESULTING IN CONSUMER HITTING A TREE ,AND MOTORCYCLE WAS TOTALED. A WEEK LATER CONSUMER RECIEVED A RECALL NOTICE ON OIL LEAKAGE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
Crash
Incident date: Aug 3, 1998
FUEL PETCOCK LEAKS FUEL DOWN THE SIDE OF MOTORCYCLE
Incident date: Jan 21, 2003
FUEL LEAK DUE TO FAULTY FUEL PETCOCK. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE TO REPLACE IT.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2002
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, VEHICLE'S SPEED WILL START DECEASING, UNTIL VEHICLE LOSSES ALL POWER. THE DEALERSHIP HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM, BUT IT STILL EXIST. TS RADIATOR OVERFLOWED. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A REMEDY. VEHICLE WAS ALSO JUMPING OUT OF 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. MAJOR SERVICE REVEALED ENGINE WAS THROWING OIL. 2 BOLTS WERE TIGHTENED. *TT
Incident date: Sep 1, 2002
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, VEHICLE'S SPEED WILL START DECEASING, UNTIL VEHICLE LOSSES ALL POWER. THE DEALERSHIP HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM, BUT IT STILL EXIST. TS RADIATOR OVERFLOWED. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A REMEDY. VEHICLE WAS ALSO JUMPING OUT OF 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. MAJOR SERVICE REVEALED ENGINE WAS THROWING OIL. 2 BOLTS WERE TIGHTENED. *TT
Incident date: Sep 1, 2002
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, VEHICLE'S SPEED WILL START DECEASING, UNTIL VEHICLE LOSSES ALL POWER. THE DEALERSHIP HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM, BUT IT STILL EXIST. TS RADIATOR OVERFLOWED. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. DEALER COULD NOT FIND A REMEDY. VEHICLE WAS ALSO JUMPING OUT OF 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. MAJOR SERVICE REVEALED ENGINE WAS THROWING OIL. 2 BOLTS WERE TIGHTENED. *TT
Incident date: Oct 17, 2002
WITH LESS THAN 3,000 MILES ON MY 1999 KAWASAKI KLR 650, DURING A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, A FAILED LEVER, IDLER SHAFT AND SPRING WAS DISCOVERED AND REPLACED WITH AN AFTER-MARKET PRODUCT. DURING THIS SAME MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY, TWO OTHER KLR 650'S WERE FOUND TO HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME FAILURE.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2002
TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP WHILE GOING 50 MPH DOWN A GRAVEL ROAD. REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP CAUSING AN UNCONTROLLED SLIDE TO A STOP. JUST GOT OFF THE FREEWAY DOING 75 MPH
Incident date: Apr 22, 1999
THE BALANCER CHAIN BROKE CAUSING THE MOTOR TO LOCK UP WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND LOCKING UP THE REAR WHEEL
Incident date: May 12, 2000
BALANCER CHAIN BROKE CAUSING ENGINE TO LOCK UP AND LOCK UP THE REAR WHEEL
Incident date: May 1, 2002
THIS INVOLVES ENGINE PART #13168-1436 (LEVER, IDLER SHAFT) IN THE ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM OF THE ENGINE'S BALANCER TENSIONER SYSTEM. I HAVE REMOVED A FAILED LEVER, IDLER SHAFT FROM MY KLR650 ENGINE. I HAVE ALSO ASSISTED IN THE INSPECTION OF THIS PART IN OTHER KLR650 ENGINES AND HAVE FOUND OTHER INSTANCES OF FAILURE. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THIS COMPONENT HAS TWO MODES OF FAILURE: WELD SEPARATION, AND... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2002
A BROKEN IDLER SHAFT LEVER (DOOHICKEY) CAUSED MOTOR CYCLE TO SIEZE.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2002
BALANCER IDLER SHAFT, TENSIONER LEVER FAILURE ON A 2001 KAWASAKI KLR 650 MOTORCYCLE, RESULTING IN PIECES OF STEEL ENTERING OIL SUMP, CRANKCASE AND TRANSMISSION OF ENGINE.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2002
THE BALANCER IDLER SHAFT TENSIONING SPRONG WAS DISCOVERED TO BE BROKEN WHEN PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE WAS CARRIED OUT ON MY 2002 KAWASAKI KLR 650 MOTORCYCLE AT 2867 MILES. POTENTIALLY, THIS FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SIEZE WHILST IN OPERATION.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2002
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE MOTORCYCLE OVERHEAT AND LEAKS OIL. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS
Incident date: Nov 1, 2002
KAWASAKI KLR650 BALANCER TENSIONER AND CAM SPRING ON MOTORCYCLE LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD WITH LOW MILEAGE. AFTER READING OF SIMILAR FAILURES IN OTHER MOTORCYCLES SOME OF WHICH REPORTEDLY RESULTED IN INJURY, I DECIDED TO OPEN THE ENGINE HOUSING TO INVESTIGATE. BOTH COMPONENTS HAD SHATTERED RESULTING IN METALIC FRAGMENTATION RESIDUE DRAWN INTO THE OIL PUMP MECHANISM (BUT STOPPED BY OIL PUMP METALIC SC... Read more
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(2002) — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Dec 11, 2002
Incident date: Aug 31, 2002
WELDING TO DRIVE SHAFT WAS IMPROPERLY DONE RESULTING IN A REAR END CLICK NOISE. *TT
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(2002) — SUSPENSION:REAR
Dec 5, 2002
Incident date: Oct 7, 2002
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 750
(2001) — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Dec 3, 2002
WHILE DRIVING THEIRS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLES' DRIVE SHAFT. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE SERVICED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC INDICATED IF THE NOISE CONTINUES IT CAN CAUSE THE SHAFT TO SEIZE UP WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE BACK WHEELS LOCKING UP. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER IS AWARE THAT THEIRS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT DON'T WANT TO TA... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2002
NO PARTS AVAILABLE THE CONSUMER RECEIVE A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE TRANSMISSION SHAFT. THE BUSINESS NAME IS FLORIDA SPORTS 772 286 1850 [XXX] TS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Incident date: Nov 1, 2002
THE CONSUMER IS CONCERNED HE WAS STANDING BESIDE THE MOTORCYLE AND THE BIKE FELL ON TOP OF HIM. DUE TO THE KICK STAND HE BROKE HIS RIGHT LEG. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS
Incident date: May 1, 2002
VALVES CLICKING KAWASAKI SAYS IT IS NORMAL. NOT SO ON OTHERS. REPLACED 4 LIFTERS AND STILL HAVE NOISE ON THE OTHER 4 DRAGGING FEET. DT
Incident date: Oct 31, 2002
WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH THE MOTORCYCLE ENGINE STALLS, CONDITION CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND DAMAGES TO THE MOTORCYCLE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
Crash
Incident date: Oct 9, 2002
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND NO WARNING THE ENGINE WILL LOCK UP AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND THE CONSUMER WILL BE FORCE TO PULL OVER. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR