2010 HONDA VFR1200F Recalls, Complaints & Safety

According to the cert Honda Technician, Brannon Kilbarger recommended that the fuel pump be replaced due to off and on start up issues. I filed a complaint on May 16th, 2024 for this issue with Honda case #[XXX] and with The NHTSA for this issue. I felt that this issue was a defect from the factory since the occurrence happen before I took possession of the bike in 2019 with 8,300 miles and that Honda should service the bike without any cost to me. Honda denied my claim and refused to service my bike. New evidence now shows that the VFR1200F needed a new ECM. There are no breaks in the wiring or any other issues that would cause a massive power failure to cause the bike not to operate as it was originally designed to do. Without this $3,000+ fix and the $1,900.00 for the fuel pump, the bike has major Safety issues written all over it. The bikes is 14yrs old but hasn’t been ridden much due to replacing batteries (3) at $200.00 each and most of the time not being able to start it up. ECM units and fuel pumps don’t usually wear out prematurely well before 8,000 miles. At this time Honda doesn’t have a predetermination test for their ECM units. I found one other bike on utube that has the same issue as mind but they couldn’t determine the cause of the bike failure. My bike has been in the shop since May and I need your help in resolving this David and Goliath battle with Honda. This is truly a rare defective item that got past Honda’s quality control people at the manufacturing plant. The age of the bike shouldn’t be considered in this case especially since there was no damage to the wiring harness just the ECM chip, plus the bike has hardly been ridden the past 5 yrs due to the malfunction of the chip. Even the Certified Honda Technician believes it’s a defective unit that occurred at the factory! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The bike is draining the battery, this is my 3rd battery and this drainage isn’t covered under warranty due to the drainage being the bikes fault. The bike will not start a great deal of the time. The wiring was checked by a certified motorcycle mechanic and the issue has not been resolved. Honda of America has been notified and calls to reach back out to me haven’t been made. This has been a recurring incident since May of 2019 when I purchase the bike. Whenever the black double arrow bar(fuel pump indicator) is left if the air temp screen the bike will not start, when there is no bar the bike cycles on with the fuel pump noises associated with turning on the bike. The pages from the Honda Shop manual appears to suggest issues with the fuel pump. This bike had 8,600 miles when purchase in May 2019 and now has 9,946 miles as of May 2024. The bike runs Great when it is charged, the only issue is the battery drainage and start up when bike is unable to cycle on during start ups.

ENGINE HAD METAL SWARF LEFT INSIDE OF IT WHEN MANUFACTURED. HONDA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAS A RECALL ONLY IN THE UK, OWNERS IN OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME DEFECTS BUT ARE OFFERED NO COMPENSATION. ENGINE DEVELOPED ROD KNOCK AT 4800 MILES.

REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS IN-OPERABLE DUE TO FRONT BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE. RIDER MUST USE FOOT BRAKE FOR VEHICLES BEHIND HIM TO SEE HE IS BRAKING AT 65 MPH. RIDER CAN ONLY DETERMINE BRAKE SWITCH IS OPERABLE WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS INITIALLY CHECKED AT START-UP. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT WHEN SWITCH BEGINS TO FAIL, SO CHECK AT START-UP IS NOT CONCLUSIVE. *TR

REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS IN-OPERABLE DUE TO FRONT BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE. RIDER MUST USE FOOT BRAKE FOR VEHICLES BEHIND HIM TO SEE HE IS BRAKING AT 65 MPH. RIDER CAN ONLY DETERMINE BRAKE SWITCH IS OPERABLE WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS INITIALLY CHECKED AT START-UP. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT WHEN SWITCH BEGINS TO FAIL, SO CHECK AT START-UP IS NOT CONCLUSIVE. HONDA HAS HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE 2/22/2013 AND IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OR WILL NOT ASSIGN RESOURCES TO RESOLVE A TOTAL OF (6) BRAKE SWITCH FAILURES. *TR

REAR BRAKE LIGHT IS IN-OPERABLE DUE TO FRONT BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE. RIDER MUST USE FOOT BRAKE FOR VEHICLES BEHIND HIM TO SEE HE IS BRAKING AT 65 MPH. RIDER CAN ONLY DETERMINE BRAKE SWITCH IS OPERABLE WHEN MOTORCYCLE IS INITIALLY CHECKED AT START-UP. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT WHEN SWITCH BEGINS TO FAIL, SO CHECK AT START-UP IS NOT CONCLUSIVE. *TR

APPLICATION OF THROTTLE MAY EITHER CAUSE THE BIKE TO STUTTER OR SURGE CAUSING THE BIKE TO EITHER STALL OR INCREASE ITS FORWARD MOTION. THE IDLE SPEED IS SOMETIMES INAPPROPRIATELY SET AT 1500 RPMS WITH THE CLUTCH IN AND THE THROTTLE ROLLED ALL THE WAY FORWARD. IT CAN BE 300 MILES BETWEEN INCIDENTS. I HAD A VERY SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH MY YAMAHA R1 THAT WAS FIXED BY A FACTORY RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. OTHER VFR1200 OWNERS ARE REPORTING THIS SAME PROBLEM AND THERE IS CURRENTLY NO FIX AT HONDA DEALERS. *TR

STUMBLING AND THEN SUDDEN SURGING IRRESPECTIVE OF THROTTLE POSITION HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER OVER SIX TIMES TO GET THIS CORRECTED AND HAVE SPOKEN TO HONDA USA MOTORCYCLE DIVISION. FINAL RESULT IS THAT THEY CAN OR WILL DO NOTHING UNTIL DEALER CAN HAVE IT HAPPEN TO THEM. AREA REP RODE BIKE FOR 40 MILES AND IT DID NOT HAPPEN AND DEALER HAS RIDDEN SEVERAL TIMES. HONDA ALSO SAID IT DOES NOT SHOW UP AS A FAULT CODE SO THEY NEED PROOF. HAS HAPPENED TO SOMEONE I ASKED TO USE THE BIKE. VERY QUALIFIED MECHANIC WHO OVERSEES THE SERVICE QC FOR NATIONAL GUARD'S FLEET OF HELICOPTERS IN EASTERN CT AND IS VERY MOTORCYCLE SAVY. HIS COMMENT WAS: "THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN" THIS STUMBLING AND SURGING HAS HAPPENED IN AT LEAST TWO OF THE SITUATIONS THAT PUT ME IN A UNSAFE SITUATION WHILE PULLING ONTO THE RT 95 CT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HONDA VFR1200F MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30-35 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE APPEARED TO LOOSE POWER BEFORE ACCELERATING RAPIDLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER COMPLETING A TURN THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED. THE CONTACT RESOLVED THE FAILURE TEMPORARILY BY RESTARTING THE MOTORCYCLE. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE, STATING THAT NO FAILURES WERE FOUND. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,500. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE IN 1ST GEAR TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, HE BEGAN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO REGAIN POWER BY PULLING IN THE CLUTCH AND REVVING THE THROTTLE. ON ANOTHER OCCASIONS, WHILE GOING AROUND A CORNER IN 1ST GEAR AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, WHILE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, HE TWISTED THE THROTTLE TO ACCELERATE W, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE ENGINE, SO HE HAD TO PULL THE CLUTCH AND REV THE THROTTLE TO GET A RESPONSE. ON TWO OCCASIONS, UPON APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, HE HAD TO PULL THE CLUTCH IN ORDER TO COME TO A STOP. UPDATED 08/21/12