Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Kawasaki EX300 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
PULLING IN THE CLUTCH CAUSES THE RPMS TO DROP BELOW 1000 RPM CAUSING THE ENGINE TO DIE OR STALL. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. IT CAN OCCUR SEVERAL TIMES IN A ROW OR IT CAN BE SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I'VE TRIED TO INCREASE IDLE SPEED TO 2000 RPM, MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS 1300, WHICH DID NOT HELP. I WOULD ESTIMATE IT HAS OCCURRED 50+ TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE NEW ON JUNE 28, 2013. *TR
I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW NINJA300 FOR MY WIFE, WITH NO PROBLEMS RIDING IT HOME. THE NEXT TIME OUT, WHICH WAS A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER. I WARMED UP THE BIKE AS I USUALLY DO. RODE JUST DOWN THE STREET, WHILE IN 4TH GEAR I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH TO DOWN SHIFT AND THE BIKE JUST DIED. DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT, BUT IT HAPPENED AGAIN THE NEXT DAY, SO I INCREASED THE ENGINE IDLE A BIT THINKING THIS WOULD HELP. THE ISSUE WAS NOT RESOLVED. SO I DID SOME READING ON FORUMS AND FOUND THIS IS COMMON. SO AGAIN DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT AND DEFINITELY HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT OF THIS AS A SAFETY CONCERN BUT AFTER REALIZING HOW THIS MAY BE A POTENTIAL DISASTER, I'M HESITANT TO LET MY WIFE RIDE IT KNOWING SHE MAY BE AT RISK AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED, ACKNOWLEDGED AND CONTINUE INVESTIGATIONS UNTIL KAWASAKI CAN REALIZE THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS. *TR
AFTER PARKING MY MOTORCYCLE IN THE SUN FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS I RETURNED AND STARTED IT UP. EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. I ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 15 MPH AND THEN AS I PREPARED TO COME TO A STOP I STARTED BRAKING AND PULLED IN THE CLUTCH. THE ENGINE RPM'S DROPPED LOWER THAN THE IDLE SPEED AND THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE BIKE WAS STILL MOVING. I COASTED TO A STOP. I PLACED THE BIKE IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED THE MOTOR. IT STARTED UP FINE AND I CONTINUED ON TO AN INTERSECTION WHERE I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A U-TURN. THERE THE BIKE STALLED ON ME AGAIN WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING THE U-TURN AS SOON AS I PULLED THE CLUTCH IN. I BARELY ESCAPED BEING REAR ENDED BY A SUV THAT WAS ALSO MAKING THE U-TURN AND THAT DID NOT EXPECT ME TO COME TO SUDDEN STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. I IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE MEANWHILE I HAD TWO OTHER VEHICLES STUCK BEHIND ME BLOCKING THE INTERSECTION FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE ENGINE STALLED AGAIN AT THE NEXT STOP LIGHT. AFTER ABOUT 2 OR 3 MILES OF CONSTANT MOVEMENT DID THE ISSUE GO AWAY. THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN AND ALWAYS AFTER THE MOTORCYCLE HAS SAT IN THE SUN FOR SEVERAL HOURS. IT NEVER OCCURS IN THE MORNING ON A COLD START AND WHEN IT DOES OCCUR IT GOES AWAY AFTER A COUPLE MILES OF RIDING. *TR
THIS INCIDENT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE FIRST DAY I HAVE OWNED THE KAWASAKI NINJA 300. I WOULD SLOW DOWN TO A STOP AND THE ENGINE WOULD STALL. I WOULD THEN PUT IT BACK INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE MOTORCYCLE. IT WOULD HAPPEN A FEW TIMES UNTIL THE MOTOR GETS WARM, THEN IT STOPS STALLING. IT HAPPENED TO ME AT LEAST 3-7 TIMES WHEN RIDING IT TODAY. THIS HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 4 TIMES NOW. *TR
WHEN BIKE IS IN THE SUN ALL DAY THE BIKE WILL STALL WHEN THE CLUTCH IS PULLED IN. ALSO LEFT FAIRING POPS OUT CALLED KAWASAKI ABOUT BOTH THINGS AND WAS TOLD WE HAVE NO RECORD OF THIS GO TO THE DEALER SO I WENT TO THE DEALER AND AGAIN GIVEN THE RUN AROUND THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR THE SAFETY OF THE RIDER. *TR
I WAS GOING THROUGH A SLIGHT CURVE, NOT A BIG ONE JUST A NORMAL CURVE GOING ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR WHEN I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN THE BIKE SORT OF STALLED SO I WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE CURB INTO WHERE I HIT A TREE. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT SAW E INCIDENT AND FOUND IT VERY STRANGE AS WELL AS I DID. I HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE INTO WHICH I KNOW IT WASN'T MY FAULT I LOST CONTROL OF THE BIKE. GOING 20 MILES PER HOUR WITH NOTHING THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS PRETTY STRANGE. *TR
ENGINE STALLS UNEXPECTEDLY FOR NO REASON. NO USER ERROR. MOTORCYCLE WAS SITTING IN SUN IN A PARKING LOT FOR 40 MINUTES. I STARTED THE MOTORCYCLE, LET IT WARM UP FOR 5 MINUTES THEN TOOK OFF. AS I WAS LEAVING PARKING LOT I PULLED IN CLUTCH AS I CAME TO A STOP SIGN. AT THIS TIME THE ENGINE RPMS DROPPED TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE STALLED/DIED. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STARTED THE MOTORCYCLE AGAIN. I RETURNED TO THE PARKING LOT AND RE TESTED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH. THIS TIME ENGINE RPMS DROPPED VERY LOW BUT THE BIKE DID NOT STALL. I ENDED UP MAKING IT HOME WITH NO MORE PROBLEMS THAT DAY. SINCE THAT EXPERIENCE THE MOTORCYCLE STALLS WHEN I FIRST START RIDING IT AND PULL IN THE CLUTCH. THIS MOSTLY HAPPENS WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN SITTING IN THE SUN FOR SOME TIME. AFTER RIDING FOR A FEW MINUTES AND GOING THROUGH GEARS THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET AT HIGHER GEARS, JUST IN FIRST AND MAYBE SECOND GEARS. THE PROBLEM DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE MORNING (WHEN THE AIR IS COLDER AND THE MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN IN THE GARAGE). ENGINE IDLE IS SET PROPERLY. ON A MOTORCYCLE, AN ENGINE STALLING UNEXPECTEDLY AND FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE ABILITY TO "GET OUT OF THE WAY" IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE WHEN STOPPED ON A MOTORCYCLE. *TR
THIS VEHICLE "STALLED OUT" WHEN COMING TO A STOP SIGN ABOUT 8 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP ON THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP. EVER SINCE THAT TIME, IT STALLS AT RANDOM AND HAS ERRATIC IDLE ISSUES. SOMETIMES IT JUST (SHUTS DOWN) FOR NO REASON WHEN COMING TO A STOP SIGN. AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP MOST OF THE TIME IT WILL IDLE DOWN FROM 1500 RPMS TO ABOUT 1000 RPMS THEN IN ABOUT 2 SECONDS IT COMES BACK TO 1500 RPMS. THIS CONDITION VERY POSSIBLY "COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE" THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS TO THE MANUFACTURER (KAWASAKI)... I DID CONTACT THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY HAVE NEVER GOT BACK WITH ME ON THIS ISSUE. THIS STALLING COULD COME AT A VERY CRITICAL TIME AND IT COULD CAUSE A PERSON TO GET HIT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN THE ENGINE IS TOTALLY STALLED OR DEAD. *TR
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.
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