2004 Honda CMX250C Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Honda CMX250C, 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
- Transmission2775.0%
- Powertrain (other)616.7%
- Engine12.8%
- Fuel system12.8%
- Exterior lighting12.8%
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
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE A 2004 HONDA 250CC REBEL MOTORCYCLE. IT HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS GETTING IT INTO NEUTRAL OR FIRST GEAR SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2004. THEN I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS IN 2008 SHIFTING INTO LOWER GEARS WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THIS CAUSED TRAFFIC TIE-UPS DUE TO THE LACK OF BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY START IN TRAFFIC NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A HONDA REPAIR SHOP IN MAY 2009 AND THEY SAID THAT ALL PARTS ARE IN SPEC. BUT ADMITTED THAT THEY ALSO HAD PROBLEMS GETTING THE BIKE IN NEUTRAL AND THAT IT WAS HARD TO SHIFT. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING MORE FOR ME. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET WITH ONLY 500 TO 8,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MINE IS NOW HAVING MAJOR SLIPPING PROBLEMS WITH ONLY UNDER 7,000 MILES. WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE CLUTCH SLIPS AND I CAN NOT GAIN SPEED TO KEEP UP WITH TRAFFIC. IT APPEARS THAT I NOW HAVE A BIKE THAT IS TOO DANGEROUS TO RIDE WITH NO HOPE OF ANYONE WILLING TO FIX IT CAN YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO? *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 HONDA REBEL DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. IT WOULD ONLY GO ABOUT 15 MPH AND I KNEW I HAD THE DREADED 2004 CLUTCH PROBLEM. I BABIED IT TO THE NEAREST HONDA MOTORSPORT DEALER AND IT CURRENTLY SITS IN THEIR SERVICE AREA. ON THE WAY THERE I WAS ALMOST HIT NUMEROUS TIMES BY OTHER CARS NOT TO MENTION ALMOST FALLING WHEN THE INCIDENT FIRST OCCURRED. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WILL PROBABLY NEED A NEW CLUTCH. I REPLIED "MY BIKE ONLY HAS 5000 MILES! HOW COULD I NEED A NEW CLUTCH ALREADY?" HE SAID HE WASN'T SURE AND WOULD LET ME KNOW ONCE THEY WERE SURE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A FEW CARS ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER AND I AM HOPING THAT THIS ISN'T GOING TO COST ME ANYTHING. *TR
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
2004 HONDA REBEL MOTORCYCLE. BOUGHT NEW IN 2003 IT IS A 2004 MODEL. IT HAS 1400 MILES ON IT AND THE CLUTCH IS SLIPPING SEVERELY. I THINK HONDA SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS.THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED. *TR
BIKE WILL NOT SHIFT PROPERLY, UPSHIFTING ISN'T THE PROBLEM AS MUCH AS TRYING TO GET THE BIKE INTO NEUTRAL OR FIRST GEAR IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. MAKES ROAD DRIVING IMPOSSIBLE. BOUGHT THE BIKE USED FROM A DEALER, HASN'T WORKED PROPERLY FROM DAY ONE. REPLACED CLUTCH AT 5,000 MILES, THINKING THIS WAS THE PROBLEM JUST TO FIND OUT, IMPROPER SHIFTING MECHANISM WAS THE CAUSE. HAVE BOUGHT NEW SPRINGS FOR THE SHIFTING MECHANISM, HOPEFULLY THIS FIXES THE PROBLEM, AS TO IT SEEMS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE NEXT TO JUST SCRAPPING A POORLY DESIGNED BIKE. READING SIMILAR CASES ONLINE IT IS UNDER MY BEST ASSUMPTION THAT IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THIS SPRING HAS LED TO POOR OPERATION. IN MY RESEARCH OF ONLINE SERVICE MANUALS, IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT THE SPRING NOT INSTALLED TO SPECS. NOT SO MUCH BACKWARDS AS UPSIDE DOWN. BIKE DOES NOT WORK. *TR
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: THE CONSUMER RODE THE MOTORCYCLE 88 MILES IN 2 DAYS. THE OIL LIGHT CAME AND THE ENGINE DIED. WHEN SHE ARRIVED HOME, SHE DISCOVERED THE MOTORCYCLE HAD NO OIL IN IT. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. MODEL NOT FOUND IN LIST, MODEL IS A VT600CD4.*AK THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPEARTIVE. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY OF THE 2004 HONDA REBEL CMX250C MOTORCYCLES WERE DEFECTIVE FROM ASSEMBLY AT THE FACTORY. HONDA DEALERSHIPS HAVE A (SECRET) SERVICE BULLETIN TO REFER TO THAT DESCRIBES THE FOLLOWING: THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY IS LIKELY TO FAIL UNDER 1000 MILES. DUE TO FAILING OF THIS COMPONENT, IT POSES A HAZARD WHILE TRAVELING DOWN AN INTERSTATE, SINCE THE MOTORCYCLES CEASES TO ACCELERATE AND BASICALLY IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE POWER (TORQUE) TO THE REAR WHEELS. I HAVE REPLACED THE FRICTION DISCS AND METAL DISCS ALONG WITH THE SPRINGS TO INCREASE THE "CLUTCH STACK HEIGHT" AND THEREFORE AVOID SLIPPING AND MALFUNCTIONING OF THE CLUTCH. I DO HAVE ALL OF THE OLD PARTS THAT I REPLACED AVAILABLE. HONDA REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE FAULTY CLUTCHES AND HAS YET TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY THAT THE HONDA REBEL MOTORCYCLES BUILT FOR THE YEAR 2004 HAVE FAULTY CLUTCHES. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: THE CONSUMER RODE THE MOTORCYCLE 88 MILES IN 2 DAYS. THE OIL LIGHT CAME AND THE ENGINE DIED. WHEN SHE ARRIVED HOME, SHE DISCOVERED THE MOTORCYCLE HAD NO OIL IN IT. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. MODEL NOT FOUND IN LIST, MODEL IS A VT600CD4.*AK THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WAS INOPEARTIVE. *JB
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .