2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR

1 recalls — 17 complaints

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Defect Description

IN THE TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE SECOND/THIRD PINION GEAR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MACHINED WHICH COULD CAUSE ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINER CIRCLIP.

Consequence

IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy

YAMAHA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION GEARS AND SHAFTS WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YA... Read more

29,139 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

Complaint Statistics

17 total complaints

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION	15
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS	1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY	1

Incident date: Aug 25, 2007

I AM WRITING IN REGARD TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE THAT I EXPERIENCED ON SATURDAY, THE 25TH OF AUGUST, 2007 ON MY 2003 MIDNIGHT ROADSTAR. FIFTH GEAR WAS LOST WHILE I WAS LEADING A GROUP OF MOTORCYCLES ON THE INTERSTATE. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE, I HEARD A LOUD METALLIC CLICK, AND THOUGHT OF A BREA... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2006

WHEN STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE THE ENGINE COUGHED (BACKFIRED THROUGH THE CARBURETOR). SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THE STARTER WOULD NO LONGER ENGAGE. THIS LEFT ME STRANDED AND WAS FORCE TO FIND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION HOME IN ORDER TO PICK UP MY TRUCK & TRAIL... Read more

Incident date: Jul 6, 2005

DT: 2003 , YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE'S FRAME RUSTED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THERE WAS A BRACKET WELDED TO THE FRAME THAT CRACKED. A CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALED ALL 4 SIDES OF THE BRACKETS WERE CRACKED. . CONSUMER CAUGHT THIS IN TIME, AND THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS OR FAILURES. BUT CONSUMER FELT IF THIS ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 1901

RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF RECALL FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. CONTACTED TWO DEALERS FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO REPAIR TRANSMISSION, BUT NEITHER DEALERSHIPS ACCEPTING ANY REPAIRS BECAUSE PARTS WEREN'T AVAILABLE. THE RECALL WAS FILED AUGUST 2003 BUT THE CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED UNTIL SIX MONTHS LATER (RECAL... Read more

THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNAWARE AS TO HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE BEFORE THEY RECEIVED PARTS TO PERFORM TRANSMISSION RECALL. *PH THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THE RECALL TO BE PERFORMED IN A TIMELY MANNER OR YAMAHA SHOULD BUY THE VEHICLE BACK. *SC RECALL #03V309000. *JB

Incident date: Jan 9, 2004

RECALL NOTICE 03V309000 YAMAHA RECALL OF DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION PARTS THAT MAY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH: I RECEIVED THE NOTICE ON JANUARY 10, 2004 AND CONTACTED THE DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE REQUIRED REPAIR. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE REPAIR KITS ARE TO BE PROVIDED BY YAMAHA AND THEY WOULD CALL ME TO SCHED... Read more

THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ON JANUARY 2004 IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA RECALL 03V309000/ REAR WHEEL LOCK UP. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER TWO MONTHS FOR THE PARTS TO BE AVAILABLE. *NM IT WAS UNKNOWN AS TO WHEN THE PARTS W... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2004

I BOUGHT A NEW 2003 YAMAHA ROAD STAR MOTORCYCLE FROM HATTIESBURG CYCLES IN HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI ON 3 JANUARY 2004. I WAS NOTIFIED 13 JANUARY 2004 OF A RECALL INVOLVING EXTENSIVE REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION AND TOLD NOT TO OPERATE THE MOTORCYCLE UNTIL THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED DUE TO THE POSSIBI... Read more

Incident date: Jan 23, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V309000 CONCERNING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, WHO DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIRS. DEALER WAS FIXING THE SHOWROOM MOTORCYCLES AND NOT FIXING CONSUMERS' MOTORCYCLES, BUT TELLING CONSUMERS THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PARTS. *A... Read more

CONSUMER HAS A CONCERN OF ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE VEHICLE BEING DISASSEMBLED TO CORRECT THE SAFETY DEFECT REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION. *LA *JB

Incident date: Jan 9, 2004

YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE MIDNIGHT STAR RECALL FOR TANSMISSION. THE YAMAHA CORPERATION HAS NOT BEEN ANY HELP WHAT SO EVER IN ASSISTING WITH TIMELY REPAIRS, OR FORTHCOMMING WITH ANY INFORMATION WHAT SO EVER. ALL THAT THEY CAN TELL ANYONE IS THAT THEY HAVE KNOW IDEA WHEN PARTS MAY BE AVAILABLE. THIS IS INEXCU... Read more

Incident date: Aug 23, 2003

ON JANUARY 9, 2004, YAMAHA NOTIFIED ME MY 2003 MIDNIGHT STAR WAS UNDER RECALL AND NOT TO OPERATE IT UNTIL REPAIRED. THE DEFECT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED MY NEAREST DEALER WHO TOLD ME THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAD NO PARTS TO REPAIR. I ALSO CONTACTED... Read more

Incident date: Feb 19, 2004

THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO YAMAHA'S FAILURE TO PERFORM RECALL REPAIRS TO A 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR (MOTORCYCLE) (SUBJECT TO A RECALL IDENTIFIED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. 03V309000) WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME AFTER DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE FOR THOSE REPAIRS. THE RECALL WAS INITIATED ON AUGUST 22, 2003 ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 9, 2004

INABILITY OF MANUFACTURER TO RESPOND TO NHTSA MANDATED RECALL OF 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR MOTORCYCLE IN A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME. RECALL LETTER ISSUED BY YAMAHA CORPORATION ON JANUARY 9, 2004 FOR RECALL OF 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR MOTORCYCLE DUE TO FAULTY TRANSMISSION RETAINING CLIP WHICH COUL... Read more

Incident date: Jan 30, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V309000 CONCERNING MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE ON 1/30/2004. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS, AND HAD NO INFORMATION ON WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. DEALER HAD A WAITING LIST WITH ABOUT THIRTY CONSUMER... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2004

THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT RECALL 03V309000 SUBJECT: REAR WHEEL LOCK UP, BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE SHOWROOM MOTOR CYCLES WOULD BE FIXED BEFORE ANY OTHER MOTOR CYCLES. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WHO INDIC... Read more

Incident date: Jan 29, 2004

THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE RECALL OF THE ROAD STAR MOTORCYCLE FOR A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION, THE RECALL DATE WAS AUG 22, 2003. THE LETTER RECEIVED ADVISING OF THE RECALL WAS DATED JAN 9, 2004, WITH THE INSTRUCTION THAT THE MC WAS DANGEROUS TO D... Read more

YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR — All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR across all model years (1999–2003).

6 Total Recalls

29 Total Complaints

0 Investigations

0 Reported Crashes

0 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR — Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2003 (current)	1	17
2002	1	7	View
2001	2	5	View
2000	1	0	View
1999	1	0	View

Other YAMAHA Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
XMAX	43	0	View
MT-09	32	4	View
YZFR1	28	132	View
FJR1300	26	99	View
FJR13	24	82	View
MT-09 SP	20	0	View
XVS11	18	41	View
XVS65	18	26	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR — All Years Overview

YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR — Year by Year

Other YAMAHA Models