2006 Honda ST1300A 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 2006 Honda ST1300A, 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
- Brakes4100.0%
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
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES AND RESUMING, THE MOTORCYCLE HAD A NOTICEABLE DRAG. I GOT IT THE REST OF THE WAY HOME AND THE REAR BRAKE ROTOR WAS EXTREMELY HOT. I PUT THE MOTORCYCLE ON THE CENTER STAND AND TRIED TO TURN THE WHEEL AND I COULD NOT TURN THE REAR WHEEL BY HAND. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND CONCLUDED IT WAS CAUSED BY THE SECONDARY MASTER CYLINDER LOCATED ON THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER. I AM FILING THE COMPLAINT BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE BIKE AFFECTING YEARS 03-07. IF THE REAR BRAKE WERE TO COMPLETELY LOCK UP AT A HIGH SPEED IT COULD CAUSE A CRASH OR THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM COULD GET HOT ENOUGH TO CAUSE A FIRE. *TR
THE POOR DESIGN OF THE SECONDARY MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER (SMC), WHICH APPLIES THE REAR BRAKE WHEN THE FRONT BRAKES ARE IN USE, ALLOWS CORROSION, FROM EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS, TO DEVELOP. WATER, AND ROAD DEBRIS COLLECT AT THE TOP OF THE SMC, AND SLOWLY SEEPS IN PAST THE EXTERNAL RUBBER BOOT, AND THE INTERNAL BRAKE ROD SHAFT-SEAL, WHERE IT BEGINS TO ATTACK THE BRAKE CYLINDER BORE SURFACE. THE CORROSION CAUSES THE SMC PISTON TO SEIZE-UP WITHIN THE SMC BORE, RESULTING IN A FAILURE TO RELEASE THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER. THE DESIGN OF THE SMC IS SUCH THAT PRESSURIZED BRAKE FLUID (PROVIDED BY THE REAR BRAKE CIRCUIT) CAN PASS AROUND THE SEIZED PISTON TO ACTUATE THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER, HOWEVER THE SEIZED PISTON PREVENTS THE RETURN OF BRAKE FLUID, WHICH RESULTS IN THE REAR BRAKE CALIPER NOT RELEASING. A NON RELEASING BRAKE CALIPER CAN CREATE A SERIOUS, AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. MY HONDA ST1300A (VIN [XXX]) HAS HAD THE SMC SEIZE UP ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FIRST TIME AT 8,600 MILES, THE SECOND TIME AT 57,000 MILES, AND THE LAST TIME AT 66,200 MILES. CURRENTLY I HAVE 90,123 MILES ON THIS MOTORCYCLE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
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 .