2015 Ducati Diavel Owner Complaints

Hi [XXX] , Not sure if you are still working at NHTSA….. For what it’s worth, I finally diagnosed my ‘other’ 2015 Ducati with a failed spark plug wire (open circuit). This bike has about 5,000 miles, but has had the symptoms since about 1,000 miles (i.e., almost 10 years). So, Ducati is 2 for 2 in 2015 for bad spark plug wires. On ‘dual spark’ bikes (i.e., this one), having one failed wire is not a catastrophe; but very hard to diagnose. For my other 2015 bike (emails below) with only one wire per cylinder, it can lead to erratic engine response and fire while riding the bike. Not much fun. I’m a bit surprised that NHTSA seems to dismiss this so readily. It is also pretty clear that Ducati knows of the issue, but has not bothered to provide owners with any information / warnings. Sad. If you needed them, I could send you some “crispy” parts that burned (actuator for the exhaust flapper valve) and the bad wire. Best, [XXX] From: [XXX] [XXX] > Sent: Friday, April 18, 2025 2:52 PM To: [XXX] (NHTSA)' [XXX] > Subject: RE: VOQ- 11647603 Hello again, Not sure if you are still interested in this motorcycle fire….. Turns out the culprit in this long ordeal was two spark plug wires slowly going bad. Unusual that a “Garage Queen” bike with 1,500 miles on it would have both plug wires go bad (open circuit) at almost the exact same time. Since the wires are a ‘dumb’ component, there were no ECU trouble codes or other indicators (except for the completely misleading ones) that identify this problem. With a partially ‘bad’ wire, a cylinder won’t spark, passing the gas directly into the hot exhaust….. where it burns, making the exhaust hot enough to ignite whatever might be nearby. “I authorize NHTSA to share my Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and other personally identifiable information in my complaint record with the manufacturer,” INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11740917

Incident

May 21, 2026

While cruising down the highway I shifted up from 4th gear to 5th, power cut off on the engine while going 50 mph. I did an emergency clutch pull and coasted to the emergency lane. Rear tire locked up and i skid to a stop. Come to find out a rod was broken and the motor locked up.

NHTSA ID

11655208

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

Rear brakes and wiring overheated rear Caliber and rotors causing damage. Currently at the Ducati dealership awaiting repair. Details from Ducati Service Advisor: As you can see in the images, the rear brakes got so hot that it seized the pistons in the calipers, and also melted the wheel speed sensor wire.

NHTSA ID

11653962

Incident

Apr 10, 2025

Crank failure. Bearing surface between connecting rod and crank failed and caused a catastrophic failure of engine. Potential for internal debris/loose metal/broken parts to seize gearbox locking up the rear wheel. Part was inspected by my dealer. No warning of any type is given prior to failure. Two (2) other same model year Diavels were in my dealer (Ducati Detroit) for the same issue. There are multiple failures of others reported on various message boards and forums.

NHTSA ID

11420070

Incident

May 29, 2020

FAULTY FUEL SENSOR. AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE FUEL SENSOR WILL BREAK DOWN RESULTING IN AN INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READING AND WILL SHOW EMPTY. DESPITE MANY REVISIONS OF THIS PART NUMBER, DUCATI IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A LONG TERM SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. DUCATI HAS NOT RELEASED OR NOTIFIED THE OWNERS OF THIS MISHAP AND ARE HOLDING BACK INFORMATION ON FIXING IT.

NHTSA ID

11160765

Incident

May 1, 2018

Mileage

45 mi

FAULTY FUEL SENSOR. AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE FUEL SENSOR WILL BREAK DOWN RESULTING IN AN INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE READING AND WILL SHOW EMPTY. DESPITE MANY REVISIONS OF THIS PART NUMBER, DUCATI IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A LONG TERM SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. AFTER THE 2 YEAR WARRANTY IS OVER, DUCATI WILL NO LONGER COVER A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS PART. THEY WILL SOMETIMES COVER THE COST OF THE PART, BUT SHOULD ALSO COVER THE LABOR TO REPLACE THE PART AS WELL. THIS WILL BE THE SECOND TIME THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO ME. THE SAME PROBLEM IS OCCURRING WITH THE MULTISTRADA AND X-DIAVEL MODELS.

NHTSA ID

11033328

Incident

Oct 7, 2017

Mileage

2,500 mi