Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 53 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Honda VTX1800, most frequently naming the powertrain (other), suspension and tires & wheels categories. 9 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| May 2003 | 1 | 2 |
| Aug 2003 | 1 | 3 |
| Jun 2004 | 2 | 5 |
| Aug 2004 | 1 | 6 |
| Feb 2005 | 2 | 8 |
| Mar 2005 | 1 | 9 |
| May 2005 | 2 | 11 |
| Jun 2005 | 1 | 12 |
| Jul 2005 | 2 | 14 |
| Aug 2005 | 2 | 16 |
| Sep 2005 | 2 | 18 |
| Feb 2006 | 1 | 19 |
| Mar 2006 | 1 | 20 |
| Jun 2006 | 3 | 23 |
| Jul 2006 | 1 | 24 |
| Aug 2006 | 1 | 25 |
| Oct 2006 | 1 | 26 |
| Feb 2007 | 1 | 27 |
| May 2007 | 1 | 28 |
| Jun 2007 | 1 | 29 |
| Aug 2007 | 1 | 30 |
| Jan 2008 | 1 | 31 |
| Mar 2008 | 1 | 32 |
| May 2008 | 2 | 34 |
| Jun 2008 | 1 | 35 |
| Jul 2008 | 3 | 38 |
| Sep 2008 | 1 | 39 |
| Nov 2008 | 1 | 40 |
| Dec 2008 | 1 | 41 |
| Jun 2009 | 1 | 42 |
| Feb 2010 | 1 | 43 |
| May 2010 | 1 | 44 |
| Sep 2010 | 1 | 45 |
| Mar 2011 | 1 | 46 |
| Jun 2011 | 1 | 47 |
| Mar 2012 | 1 | 48 |
| Aug 2012 | 1 | 49 |
| Apr 2013 | 1 | 50 |
| Aug 2013 | 1 | 51 |
| Oct 2014 | 1 | 52 |
| Mar 2017 | 1 | 53 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
JUST HAD REAR TIRE REPLACED ON MY VTX 1800R AT HONDA DEALER. WAS INFORMED BY TECHNICIAN THAT MY REAR BEARING NEEDS REPLACED. THE BIKE ONLY HAS 13,500 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT. THIS SEEMS WAY TO EARLY FOR THIS TO HAVE WORN OUT ALREADY. I SEE ON THIS FORUM THAT THIS PROBLEM IS ENORMOUSLY COMMON ON THE 1800S. PRETTY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS. ORDERING REPLACEMENT PARTS AND HOPING THE BEARINGS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED IN THE LAST 13 YEARS.
NOTICED ODD TIRE WEAR ON THE REAR TIRE OF THE MOTORCYCLE WHILE AWAY FROM HOME. TIRE SEEMED TO HAVE WORN DOWN VERY QUICKLY. AFTER ANOTHER 100 MILES RIDDEN, NOTICED TREAD ON LEFT SIDE OF TIRE WAS WORN DOWN TO THE CORDS OF THE TIRE AND VERY CLOSE TO HAVING A BLOW OUT. REMOVED TIRE AND WHEEL TO REPLACE TIRE. DISCOVERED THAT THE BEARING IN THE FLANGE WAS DESTROYED, THIS BEARING WAS ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE TIRE THAT HAD WORN DOWN TO THE CORDS. BEARING HAD METAL PIECES LOOSE INSIDE AND BALL BEARINGS WERE LOOSE AND SCATTERED AROUND BEARING. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND HAVE FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS FAILURE. *TR
THE REAR WHEEL FLANGE BEARINGS WERE FOUND DAMAGED AND MISSING. *TR
MAJOR FRONT END WOBBLE (ESPECIALLY IF NOT GRIPPING WITH BOTH HANDS) BETWEEN 35-50MPH. SEVERAL HUNDRED COMPLAINTS ONLINE, BUT NOBODY HAS A 100% FIX. ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DURING A TURN WITH THE WOBBLE. ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE CONTROL. BROUGHT IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE ALSO BROUGHT IN THERE BIKES WITH THE SAME ISSUE, BUT NO KNOWN FIXES. *TR
I HEARD A NOISE WHEN TURNING OR CORNERIG BOTH DIRECTIONS. REMOVED REAR WHEEL AND FOUND DRIVE FLANGE BEARING HAD FAILED BREAKING APART INTO SMALL PIECES. *TR
REAR DRIVE SIDE FLANGE BEARING TOTAL FAILURE 4 TIMES BEFORE 30000 MILES. BEARINGS TOTALLY GROUND DOWN AND ROUGH. T $220.00 A POP, IT IS BECOMING EXPENSIVE AND AN IMMINENT DANGER TO ALL RIDERS. *JS
WHEN CHANGING REAR TIRE CHECKED FLANGE BEARING AND NOTICED BEARING WAS COMING APART. SEAL GONE AND METAL PIECES PRESENT ALONG WITH ROUGH AND LOOSE BEARINGS. 14,000 MILES ON 03 1800 VTX C. *TR
FLANGE BEARING WORN AT ONLY 11,000 MILES...LUCKILY I HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRE FOR A 1200 MILE TRIP I WAS GETTING READY TO TAKE OR ELSE IT COULD OF MADE FOR A REALLY BAD TRIP FOR SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE SHOULDN'T HAPPEN AFTER ONLY THIS MANY MILES...SPENT 35 BUCKS AND GOT THEM REPLACED.. *TR
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
AIR BAGS
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
AIR BAGS
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall: Accord, Civic, and Others ? Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-045, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-046, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number of affected units, American Honda is still in the process of populating the VIN status inquiry function on iN, which is expected to take several days. When this process is complete, American Honda will notify all dealers again via iN message. Until that time, the existing acknowledgement procedure must be used for all potentially affected vehicles.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY REDUCED LABEL FOR ALL HONDA VEHICLES. *PE
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
HONDA: WARRANTY EXTENSION-VEHICLE WARRANTY MILEAGE. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALLEGING THAT THE ODOMETERS ON CERTAIN 2002-2006 HONDA MODELS WERE OVERSTATING MILEAGE. FEDERAL COURT PROVIDED FINAL APPROVAL OF SETTLEMENT ON 12/29/07. NO MODELS LISTED. *PE
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
STUCK FUEL PUMP. HONDA. THE WRENCH. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
NO START CONDITION. TO INCLUDE HONDA VTX1800 2004. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.