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2011 Can-Am Spyder RS Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
5
Latest Dec 20, 2022
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
3
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2011 Can-Am Spyder RS, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Fuel system350.0%
  • Engine233.3%
  • Steering116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I WENT OUT FOR A SHORT RIDE BECAUSE I HADN'T BEEN ON MY BIKE IN A WHILE DUE TO THE HEAT THAT WE NORMALLY EXPERIENCE AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AND I WANTED TO TRY OUT A NEW HELMET I HAD PURCHASED. WHEN I RETURNED, I PARKED MY BIKE IN THE GARAGE AS I NORMALLY DO. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE SMELL OF GAS. I GOT OFF THE BIKE TO INVESTIGATE, AND AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE BIKE I COULD IMMEDIATELY HEAR WHAT SOUNDED LIKE BOILING. BY THIS TIME THE SMELL OF GAS WAS ALMOST OVERWHELMING. I PUSHED THE BIKE OUT OF THE GARAGE AWAY FROM THE HOUSE, AND LET IT COOL OUTSIDE, FOR FEAR OF A FIRE OR EXPLOSION. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A FUEL LEAK. AFTER IT COOLED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, I PUSHED IT BACK INTO THE GARAGE AND PARKED IT. THE NEXT DAY I WENT FOR ANOTHER SHORT RIDE AT ABOUT 10 AM FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. THE SITUATION REPEATED ITSELF EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED BEFORE WITH THE BOILING SOUND AND OVERWHELMING SMELL OF FUEL, EXCEPT THAT I DIDN'T PARK IT IN THE GARAGE THIS TIME. I JUST GOT OFF OF IT AND LET IT COOL OUTSIDE ON THE DRIVEWAY. I HAVEN'T RIDDEN MY SPYDER SINCE THEN. I BELONG TO A FORUM CALLED SPYDERLOVERS.COM AND I DID A SEARCH TO FIND OUT IF ANYONE ELSE HAD EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM AND WHAT I COULD DO ABOUT IT.. THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED THAT MANY PEOPLE, OTHER THAN MYSELF, ALSO HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE, SOME RESULTING IN ACTUAL FIRES. *TR

NHTSA ID 10626832 · filed Aug 20, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CAN-AM SPYDER MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SMELLED OF GASOLINE AND FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE OVERFLOW TANK. THE CONTACT HAD THE DEALER REPLACE THE TANK TWICE BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,500.

NHTSA ID 10495107 · filed Jan 29, 2013

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I HAD AN ANTIFREEZE LEAK FROM THE COOLANT RESERVOIR WHICH LEAKED ANTIFREEZE ALL OVER THE GROUND AND ONTO THE TIRES. UPON GOOGLING THE ISSUE I FOUND OUT THAT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK LEAKING FROM THE BACKSIDE OF THE TANK, SO COMMON THAT BRP (CAN-AM) MADE A NEW VERSION OF THE COOLANT OVERFLOW TANK THAT IS REINFORCED IN THAT AREA TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. UPON CONTACTING BRP (CAN-AM) THEY STATED THEY WERE NOT ISSUING A RECALL ON THIS ITEM AND I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE IT FROM A DEALER. I BELIEVE DO TO THEM KNOWING ABOUT THE ISSUE, MAKING A REPLACEMENT TANK TO SOLVE THE ISSUE, THAT THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER SOME TYPE OF RECALL DO TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF IT AND THAT IT LEAKS ANTIFREEZE ONTO THE GROUND WHICH THEN CAN CAUSE THE TIRES TO LOSE TRACTION CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS ISSUE IS ON SEVERAL WEBSITES AND FORUMS WHEN YOU DO A SEARCH.

NHTSA ID 10747784 · filed Aug 11, 2015

MY LAST RIDE, AS IN PREVIOUS RIDES, WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE ODOR OF RAW FUEL. AMBIENT TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE MID 50'S. TYPICAL CITY TRAFFIC BUT NO LONG PERIODS OF STANDING STILL. ENGINE TEMPERATURE NORMAL. VOLUME OF FUEL IN THE TANK DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A FACTOR. PARKED THE SPYDER AND, AS IN THE PAST, OBSERVED VAPORS EMITTING FROM THE VENT HOSE UNDER THE FRAME WITH AN OCCASIONAL DROP OF FUEL. REMOVED THE FUEL CAP, FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND OBSERVED THE SOUND OF BOILING LIQUID. WITHOUT ANY DETAIL GIVEN I ASKED MY PASSENGER TO DO LIKEWISE WHICH RESULTED IN AN IDENTICAL OBSERVATION. VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE ENCLOSED NATURE OF THE VEHICLE, TO PREVENT HEAT RADIATED FROM THE EXHAUST, IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE FUEL TANK, FROM HEATING THE TANK SUFFICIENTLY TO CAUSE THE FUEL TO BOIL. THIS, IN MY OPINION, IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

NHTSA ID 10441182 · filed Dec 25, 2011

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

THE DEALER TOLD ME IT IS MY "DYNAMIC POWER STEERING UNIT" I HAD A LIGHT COME ON TELLING ME TO CHECK MY DPS!! I FIRST MENTION THIS TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY WHICH THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM!! THERE WAS A SAFETY CAMPAIGN IN JULY 2009!!

NHTSA ID 11498186 · filed Dec 20, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .