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
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-6R
(2011) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Mar 7, 2023
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
My 2018 Dodge Durango leaked water into the taillight assembly. I initially removed the bottom taillight screw located inside the liftgate so water would drain. Later I had to remove the light itself and run a bead of silicone caulking along the top edge where the water leaked into the light assembly. Generation 3 Dodge Durangos are notorious for leaking water into the "race track" shaped taill... Read more
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-6R
(2011) — ENGINE
Mar 7, 2023
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
I purchased this bike and have not been able to ride it, due to the severity of the safety and mechanical issues the dealer failed to disclose to me. Once I got the bike home and had it inspected by a reputable mechanic, he informed me the dealer couldn’t have inspected this bike without seeing the multitude of dangerous, and illegal modifications. The brake switch was disconnected, the kickstan... Read more
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-10R
(2022) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jan 9, 2023
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
2 issues 1 - false positive AEB while driving with no obstacles around on a rural road (speed and mileage below) 2 - backup camera delays, sometimes well into a reverse drive
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
Clutch is slipping under normal operation. this causes the motorcycle to behave unexpectedly and erratically. I attempted to accelerate from a stop sign and due to poor acceleration, I could not safely clear the intersection in a reasonable amount of time.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2022
On Wednesday, June 29th, 2022 I was riding my new Kawasaki KLX230S on private property. While riding I was experiencing surging while riding off-road. We set up a course to practice for my on-road license test and upon returning from the opposite end of the course I applied both the front and rear brakes bringing the bike to a stop. At that very moment the motorcycle accelerated to full throttle ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
I was in low power mode with three traction control and was coming out of a turn, the back tire lost traction and was spinning. I almost did a complete 180 and was then upended over the bike. There wasn't any gravel, it hadn't rained, there weren't any obstacles in the road and there was no reason the back tire should have lost traction. Especially with the technology of the ZX6R with three levels... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
I was in low power mode with three traction control and was coming out of a turn, the back tire lost traction and was spinning. I almost did a complete 180 and was then upended over the bike. There wasn't any gravel, it hadn't rained, there weren't any obstacles in the road and there was no reason the back tire should have lost traction. Especially with the technology of the ZX6R with three levels... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
My 2005 Kawasaki vulcan 1600 nomad have gas tank is leaking, and I looked on the internet and I saw that many people have this problem, is there a recall? The gas tank leaks in the left corner of the tank under the seat? Please let me know, and thank you for all you support.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
My 2005 Kawasaki vulcan 1600 nomad have gas tank is leaking, and I looked on the internet and I saw that many people have this problem, is there a recall? The gas tank leaks in the left corner of the tank under the seat? Please let me know, and thank you for all you support.
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2017) — SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 18, 2022
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
The ABS Unit is malfunctioning causing the motorcyle to show K-ACT ABS ERROR. Additionally, both the ABS and KTRC lights illuminated. The motorcycle is available for inspection upon request. The rear brake pedal feel changed dramatically requiring significant additional pressure to be applied to the pedal. The system should have acutated the front brake during this process but it did not. Addi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
After driving for 1.5 hours the engine will not start. There's less than 600 miles driven.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
After driving for 1.5 hours the engine will not start. There's less than 600 miles driven.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
After driving for 1.5 hours the engine will not start. There's less than 600 miles driven.
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
My 2005 Vulcan 1600 has recent started seeping fuel from the bottom tabs that are welded onto the gas tank and is slowly progressively getting worse
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2021) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
May 5, 2022
Incident date: Apr 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Kawasaki ZG1400E Concours. The contact stated while riding approximately 35-40 MPH, the motorcycle lost electrical power and stalled. The warning message "Key Fob Not Found" was illuminated. The contact stated that upon veering into the left turn lane to make a turn, the vehicle restarted inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who informed the contact tha... Read more
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2021) — ENGINE
May 5, 2022
Incident date: Apr 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Kawasaki ZG1400E Concours. The contact stated while riding approximately 35-40 MPH, the motorcycle lost electrical power and stalled. The warning message "Key Fob Not Found" was illuminated. The contact stated that upon veering into the left turn lane to make a turn, the vehicle restarted inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who informed the contact tha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The steel overflow line inside the tank has failed. The tank has been drained and removed. It can be inspected upon request. This posed a safety risk for myself and others. If the fuel tank was filled above a 1/4, it drained out the over flow while parked and riding. It was not discovered until I rode to the gas station to fill up and noticed gasoline draining as I filled it. A simple spark could... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2022
Kawasaki used the clutch springs from the 300 ninja model. The clutch pull rod was machined to long which leads to clutch slipping and premature wear. Clutch could go out while on freeway which could cause accidents or worse. Kawasaki has been aware of these issues and offers replacement parts we must pay for along with installation of these parts.
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-6R
(2015) — ENGINE
Jan 25, 2022
Incident date: Jan 25, 2022
COLD STARTS IT WILL IDLE ROUGH FOR A FEW SECONDS AND STALL, SOMETIMES WHEN RIDING AND AT A STOP IT WILL STALL , NOT SAFE JUST BOUGHT THIS BIKE ONLY HAS 1,500 miles!
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Kawasaki Ninja 400. The contact stated while riding at various speeds, the motorcycle would wobble while slowing down. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The motorcycle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was... Read more
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2011) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 14, 2021
Incident date: Aug 29, 2021
The electric wind shield broke at the mechanism while doing highways speeds allowing it to fold back and forward and hit my helmet almost causing a crash and . All parts on the windshield are stock. It also would not retract to fix my visibility. Part #55036-0003 for the assembly that broke.
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 900
(2021) — WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
Jul 23, 2021
Incident date: Jul 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Kawasaki Vulcan 900. The contact stated while riding 65 mph, the front wheel felt loose which caused a vibration in the handlebars. The contact stated that the motorcycle was difficult to steer. The contact made it to the department store where he was informed that the front wheel hub nut was loose. The bolt was tightened however, several weeks later, the failure recurred. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Upon departure of my parking garage I lost traction of my back tire due to a gas leak from fuel tank which led to much cosmetic damage including but not limited to damage to the body, mirror, and other cosmetic damage
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Upon departure of my parking garage I lost traction of my back tire due to a gas leak from fuel tank which led to much cosmetic damage including but not limited to damage to the body, mirror, and other cosmetic damage
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Leaking fuel tank. At weld that holds seat on. Same issue the 2003 with has been recalled. This is a safety issue. My bike can catch on fire. Other models on kawasaki valcan have been recalled also. This on needs to be recalled asap. May be why the last owner sold it to pass it on to next owner.
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2012) — SERVICE BRAKES
May 23, 2021
Incident date: May 23, 2021
Back Brake pedal locks up at times locking the rear brakes and seems to lock the left front brake. Have had back brakes replaced and front pads replaced. The issue happened within one week of purchasing the bike used from a Florida Dealership. When the brakes lock up, you are almost thrown from the bike. Front left pads wear to the metal while the right side is barely worn. Sometimes, the brake pe... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2021
The kickstand spring gets week. Also the steel material that the kickstand attaches to wears off leaving the kickstand loose. It leaves the kickstand with the possibly of falling down with the risk of causing the rider to wreck and lose control of the motorcycle.
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2009) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Apr 21, 2021
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
DURING A STOP IF THE REAR BRAKE ABS IS ACTIVATED BECAUSE OF LOSS OF TRACTION, THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL WILL BECOME FROZEN AND NO REAR BRAKE WILL BE AVAILABLE. ADDITIONALLY NO ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. SYSTEM HAS BEEN CHECKED BY QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN, STATES ALL SYSTEMS ARE GOOD AND THE ABS MOTOR IS DEFECTIVE.
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2009) — SERVICE BRAKES
Apr 21, 2021
Incident date: Apr 20, 2021
DURING A STOP IF THE REAR BRAKE ABS IS ACTIVATED BECAUSE OF LOSS OF TRACTION, THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL WILL BECOME FROZEN AND NO REAR BRAKE WILL BE AVAILABLE. ADDITIONALLY NO ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. SYSTEM HAS BEEN CHECKED BY QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN, STATES ALL SYSTEMS ARE GOOD AND THE ABS MOTOR IS DEFECTIVE.
Incident date: Mar 24, 2021
I TOOK MY 2006 KAWASAKI IN TO GET SERVICED AND THEY TOLD ME MY GAS TANK WAS LEAKING FROM THE BOTTOM LEFT SIDE (SITTING ON THE BIKE) OF THE TANK. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND OTHERS OUT THERE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. VULCAN FORUMS AND VULCAN RIDERS ASSOCIATION BOTH HAVE PEOPLE REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE. IN 2003 KAWASAKI ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE TANKS BUT DIDN'T GO UP TO MY YEAR.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2021
FUEL IS LEAKING FROM A WELD ON THE GAS TANK. IT DRIPS ONTO THE HOT ENGINE AND THE WIRING HARNESS OVER THE 12V BATTERY. KAWASAKI HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2003 AND IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON INTERNET FORUMS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL DESIGN FLAW AND COULD LEAD TO FIRE AND OR EXPLOSIONS.
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-6R
(2019) — ENGINE
Mar 5, 2021
Incident date: Mar 5, 2021
CODE 63 - EXAUST BUTTERFLY VALVE ACTUATOR . NOT WORKING
Incident date: Nov 14, 2020
CONNECTING ROD BOLTS BACK OUT AROUND 6000 MILES ON A LOT OF BIKES INCLUDING MINE STARTS WITH KNOCKING NOISE LET ME KNOW WHAT TO DO
Incident date: Oct 25, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 KAWASAKI EX250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOUNTING SCREW PUNCTURED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT LINKED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07V003000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA FOR ASSISTA... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2020
FUEL JUST STARTED SLOWLY LEAKING FROM TANK AROUND SOME SEAL WHILE SITTING IN GARAGE
KAWASAKI
NINJA ZX-14R
(2014) — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Jul 10, 2020
Incident date: Oct 20, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-14R MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE RIDING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE REAR BRAKES WAS ACTIVATED HOWEVER, FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO DELLS POWER SPORTS LOCATED AT 3105 US 40 HWY WEST, BLUE SPRINGS MO 64015, TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ABS SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT THE ABS MODULE NEED... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2020
MY ENGINE STALLS OFTEN WHEN ON ANY SORT OF INCLINE AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. TRYING TO GIVE IT GAS OR SLOWLY RELEASING THE CLUTCH DOES NOT HELP. *TR
Incident date: May 6, 2020
MY ENGINE STALLS OFTEN WHEN ON ANY SORT OF INCLINE AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. TRYING TO GIVE IT GAS OR SLOWLY RELEASING THE CLUTCH DOES NOT HELP. *TR
Incident date: May 6, 2020
MY ENGINE STALLS OFTEN WHEN ON ANY SORT OF INCLINE AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. TRYING TO GIVE IT GAS OR SLOWLY RELEASING THE CLUTCH DOES NOT HELP. *TR
KAWASAKI
VERSYS 650
(2016) — WHEELS
Apr 21, 2020
Incident date: Oct 15, 2019
FRONT WHEEL IS BENT, MOTORCYCLE HAS NOT BEEN LAID DOWN OR BEEN IN A WRECK, JUST NORMAL RIDING ON ROADS. SAME ROADS I RIDE THE OTHER 2 MOTORCYCLES DOWN WITH NO PROBLEMS. MOTRCYCLE HAS 4924 MILES ON IT. NEW WHEEL $700+, ACTUAL DATE OF DAMAGE UNKNOWN, ACTUAL SPEED UNKNOWN, NOTICED DAMAGE TODAY. PROBABLY SOMETIME LAST FALL.
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(1997) — ENGINE
Mar 30, 2020
Incident date: Mar 30, 2020
HTTPS://SEARCH.YAHOO.COM/YHS/SEARCH?P=KAWASAKI+VULCAN+PLASTIC+OIL+PUMP+GEAR&FR=YHS-ATT-ATT_001&TYPE=ATT_PC_HOMERUN_PORTAL_BUCKET_ANIM_NOGL&HSIMP=YHS-ATT_001&HSPART=ATT&EI=UTF-8 KAWASKI MOTORCYCLES HAVE A PLASTIC OIL PUMP DRIVE GEAR THAT STRIPS AND CAUSES THE MOTOR TO SEIZE WHIL DRIVING. NO RECALL. REPORTING THIS FOR SAFETY OF OTHERS
KAWASAKI
VULCAN 1500
(1996) — POWER TRAIN
Feb 17, 2020
Incident date: Feb 10, 2020
I WAS YIELDING INTO I-10 HIGHWAY AFTER LEAVING THE INTERSECTION LIGHT WHEN I SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR TO SPEED UP THEN GEAR DROP TO NEUTRAL CAUSING THE MOTORCYCLE TO JERK ENOUGH TO CAUSE ME TO VEER OF THE ROAD TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. MY PROBLEM IS NOW CONSTANT I SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND, I CAN CRUISE FINE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN I SLIP INTO NEUTRAL (BUT THE NEUTRAL LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON). I SHIFT UP... Read more
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2016) — SEATS
Feb 14, 2020
Incident date: Feb 4, 2020
SEAT BECOMES UNLATCHED DURING NORMAL OPERATION. SEAT LATCH BECOMES UNLATCHED WHILE RIDING EVEN AFTER SECURING THE SEAT AND VERIFYING IT IS LOCKED IN PLACE. I REPEATEDLY FIND THE SEAT UNLATCHED AND NOW CHECK BEFORE EVERY RIDE. UNLATCHED SEAT COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL.
Incident date: Dec 24, 2019
JUST PURCHASED A 2020 KAWASAKI KLX 230 ALF. I RODE IT AROUND THE BACKYARD FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. WHEN, I WOULD COME TO A STOP FOR JUST A COUPLE OF SECONDS, I NOTICED A BURNING SMELL. IT SMELLED LIKE SOMEONE WAS BURNING LEAVES. AS I LOOKED DOWN AT THE HEADER PIPE, IT WAS GLOWING ORANGE!!! LEAVES AND TALL GRASS WERE STARTING TO CATCH ON FIRE !!! IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS EXHAUST FLAW IN THE EXHAUST SYST... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 15, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 KAWASAKI VULCAN 1500 NOMAD. WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED TO BIG ST. CHARLES MOTORSPORTS (LOCATED AT 3830 WEST CLAY STREET, ST. CHARLES, MO 63301) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A PLASTIC GEAR IN THE OIL PUMP THAT CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL OVERRIDE IN THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT REPAIRED.... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2019
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 (NA) KAWASAKI NINJA H2 MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING 53 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION EXPLODED. WHEN THE CONTACT PULLED THE CLUTCH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED. THERE WAS NO FIRE OR INJURIES. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED TO STARR CYCLE (200 PIERCE AVE, NORTH MANKATO, MN 56003, (507) 385-1990) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE ENGINE... Read more
KAWASAKI
BRUTE FORCE 300
(2016) — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Jul 25, 2019
Incident date: Jul 25, 2019
AFTER MEETING 2 CARBURETOR RECALLS VIA A FACTORY AUTHORIZED DEALER MY STREET LEGAL ATV EMITS A STRONG ODOR OF RAW GAS AFTER BEING USED. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FIRE SAFETY OF STORING THIS VEHICLE IN MY GARAGE, TRANSPORTING IT IN THE BED OF MY TRUCK AND POSSIBLE EXPLOSION WHILE BEING DRIVEN. IS IT SAFE TO USE?
KAWASAKI
CONCOURS 14
(2009) — SERVICE BRAKES
Jul 24, 2019
Incident date: Jul 19, 2019
ABS PUMP FAILURE WITH NO WARNING LIGHT. REAR BRAKE LEVER FROZE UP AND DOES NOT DEPRESS MAKING THE REAR BRAKES UNUSABLE
Incident date: Jul 11, 2019
HAVE LEFT ENGINE LEAK HAVE SEEN THIS EAS RECALLED IN THE PAST I JUST GOT MY CAR COUPLE YEARS BACK AND NMOW ITS STARTING TO LEAK BIKE BARELY HAS 10000 MILES.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
FUEL TANK BEGAN LEAKING AT REAR MOUNTING BRACKET PLATE, DRIPPING FUEL ONTO THE DRIVESHAFT AND EXHAUST HEADERS AND RUINING THE PAINT FOR THE CLUTCH SIDE SMALL COMPARTMENT UNDER DRIVER SEAT. STARTED AS SMELL OF GASOLINE FUMES AND NOW DRIPS FUEL OUT THE LEAK. LOOKS TO BE SAME ISSUE AS AFFECTING MOST OTHER VULCAN 1600 FUEL TANKS DATING BACK TO 2004. BIKE HAS NEVER BEEN LAID DOWN / NO ACCIDENTS.