2003 Honda VFR800A 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 2003 Honda VFR800A, 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
- Electrical375.0%
- Engine125.0%
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
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE RIDING MY 2003 VFR800 TODAY THE BIKE SHUT DOWN. AND RESTARTED DURING THE RIDE. THE DASH WENT BLANK AND STILL IS BLANK. (NO READING, NO POWER). I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE HURT OR KILLED BY THIS SHUT DOWN WHILE MOVING? *KB
ON THE WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING, THE MOTORCYCLE DIED. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO RESTART FAILED. UPON INSPECTION, DETERMINED THERE WAS FUEL, GOOD BATTERY, GOOD STARTER. FUEL INJECTION INDICATOR LIGHT WAS FLICKERING. UPON INSPECTION OF THE UNDER SEAT COMPARTMENT, LOCATED A MELTED WIRE AT THE 30 AMP ACCESSORY FUSE RELAY. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, THE BIKE CUT OUT A FEW TIMES. AT THAT TIME, TROUBLESHOOT TO THE SAME WIRE, HOWEVER, APPLICATION OF DIELECTRIC GREASE AND ISOLATION FROM CHAFFING ALLEVIATED THE PROBLEM. UPON INSPECTION THIS MORNING, THE SHIELDING HAD COMPLETELY MELTED OFF THE WIRE, EXPOSING THE BARE ELEMENTS. THE 30 AMP FUSE BLOCK GOT SO HOT AS TO DEFORM NOT ONLY THE BLOCK ITSELF, BUT TO ALSO DEFORM THE FUSE (WHICH DID NOT BLOW AND STILL CARRIES A CURRENT). HAD THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE ON THE ROAD IT WOULD MOST CERTAINLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. ROADS IN THE UK DO NOT HAVE SHOULDERS. I AM CONFIDENT THAT MYSELF OR OTHERS WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ANYWHERE BUT IN MY SMALL VILLAGE. AFTER READING MANY POSTS AT HTTP://WWW.VFRDISCUSSION.COM/FORUM/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=18560 IT APPEARS THIS IS A SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM. PLEASE SEE THE PICTURES IN THIS FORUM FOR A ROUGH IDEA OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP HERE IN THE UK, AS WELL AS HONDA MOTORS UK AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY GET NO RECTIFICATION OF THIS PROBLEM FROM THEM. I AM A MEMBER OF THE US AIR FORCE STATIONED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, EXACERBATING THE ISSUE OF GETTING THE FAULT REPAIRED. *NM
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
WHILE RIDING MY 2003 VFR800 TODAY THE BIKE SHUT DOWN. AND RESTARTED DURING THE RIDE. THE DASH WENT BLANK AND STILL IS BLANK. (NO READING, NO POWER). I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE HURT OR KILLED BY THIS SHUT DOWN WHILE MOVING? *KB
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 .