RoadVitals

2013 Kawasaki Ninja Zx-6R

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Sep 5, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja Zx-6R, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and fuel system categories.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical650.0%
  • Engine541.7%
  • Fuel system18.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

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.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

ElectricalEngine
Filed Sep 5, 2018

COLD START STALL PROBLEM. MOTORCYCLE WILL TYPICALLY STALL ON 1ST 2 ATTEMPTS TO START IT. OPENING THROTTLE ON COLD START DOES NOT HELP. ECU NUMBERS ENDING WITH 62 AND 72 HAD BEEN REPORTED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BY REPLACING ECU NUMBER ENDING WITH 74. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING PROBLEM. IF ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WHILE RIDING, IN MANY INSTANCES IT WILL RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. 1000 MILES ON THE MOTORCYCLE. OTHER PEOPLE REPORT AFTER 2000 ENGINE SHOT OFF WHILE RIDING. SO I HAVE 1000 MILES LEFT TO LIVE ?

NHTSA ID
11124601
Incident
Sep 5, 2018
Mileage
900 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 11, 2017

MY BIKE COMING TO A STOP WILL STALL OUT. SLOWING DOWN, ENGAGING THE CLUTCH TO DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST GEAR AND THE RPM WILL DROP TOO LOW AND STALL THE BIKE OUT WHILE MOVING. IT WILL ALSO DO IT HOLDING IN THE CLUTCH COMING TO A STOP IF IT DOESN'T DROPPING TO FIRST GEAR. I HAVE READ OF THE ISSUE BEING RESOLVED AFTER PUTTING IN A NEWER KAWASAKI ECU. ZX6R MADE BEFORE JUNE 2013 SEEM TO HAVE THESE ISSUES AND CHANGING OUT THE COMPUTER SEEMS TO BE THE FIX BUT KAWASAKI WILL NOT RECALL IT. BEING ON THE MOVE IN TRAFFIC AND YOUR BIKE STALLING BECAUSE HOLDING IN THE CLUTCH AT A SLOW SPEED SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. IT WILL DO IT ALMOST OVERTIME COMING TO A STOP ONCE YOU ENGAGE THE CLUTCH. WILL NOT DO IT AT HIGHER SPEEDS ONLY DOWNSHIFTING TO FIRST OR BEING IN FIRST AND HOLDING IN THE CLUTCH. THERE ARE PLENTY OF VIDEOS OF THE 2013 ZX6R DOING THIS ONLINE.

NHTSA ID
11014542
Incident
Aug 11, 2017
Mileage
2,000 mi
Engine
Filed Sep 8, 2016

ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE IN USE. STALLING. I WAS RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE AND ALMOST CRASH DUE THE MOTOR STOP WORKING. IT TOOK A WHILE FOR ENGINE TO START AGAIN.

NHTSA ID
10904606
Incident
Sep 8, 2016
Mileage
3 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 22, 2016

TOTAL LOST OF ELECTRIC POWER DURING HIGHWAY(I94 EAST IN MICHIGAN) RIDING, MOTORCYCLE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT NOTICE, LUCKILY I MANAGE TO PULLED UP ON THE SHOULDER BEFORE I GOT RAN OVER BY VEHICLES. MOTORCYCLE WOULDN'T RESTART. BOUGHT BRAND NEW 0MILES, NOW 7000MILES ON ODOMETER. LATER A DIAGNOSTIC FOUND THE KILL SWITCH IS DEFECTIVE, SOLDERING OF ONE WIRE CAME OFF, CAUSING MOTORCYCLE TO SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ID
10887784
Incident
Jul 18, 2016
Mileage
7,000 mi
Engine
Filed May 6, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-6R. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10.

NHTSA ID
10714922
Incident
Mar 13, 2015
Mileage
10 mi
ElectricalEngineFuel system
Filed Jan 6, 2015

THIS MOTORCYCLE SUFFERS FROM A ROUGH START IDLE THAT CAN RESULT IN THE VEHICLE STALLING AT LOW SPEEDS OR AT TIMES, OR WILL STALL WHEN THE VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP.

NHTSA ID
10670492
Incident
Aug 19, 2014
Mileage
200 mi
Electrical
Filed May 23, 2014

THIS MOTORCYCLE IS VERY PRONE TO STALLING WHILE COLD, AND ALSO AFTER IT HAS SAT IN THE SUN FOR A FEW HOURS OR IF THE TEMPERATURE IS HOT OUTSIDE. IF COLD, IT'LL GRUMBLE AND REALLY NOT WANT TO START, MAY TAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. IF HOT, IT IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE, BECAUSE IT WILL START FINE, NO INDICATION OF AN ISSUE, BUT THEN AFTER YOU HAVE DRIVEN A FEW HUNDRED FEET, PULL IN THE CLUTCH TO SLOW, THE BIKE WILL STALL. THIS WILL HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES UNTIL YOU'RE DOWN THE ROAD A FEW MILES. I ALMOST CRASHED BECAUSE OF THIS A FEW TIMES WHILE ON A TURN, THE BIKE IS AT AN ANGLE, AND LOSS OF POWER IS DETRIMENTAL DURING THIS TIME, BUT I MANAGED TO CORRECT THE ATTITUDE OF THE BIKE IN TIME. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MANY TIMES WHEN I'M AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. THERE'S A THREAD ON ZX6R.COM CALLED 2013 ZX6R ISSUE'S HTTP://ZX6R.COM/ZX6R/38150-2013-ZX6R-ISSUE-S.HTML WHERE MANY PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THIS PROBLEM, UNFORTUNATELY, VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY REPORT THIS ISSUE. I JUST HAD THE COLD START ISSUE THIS MORNING AGAIN, AND NOW THAT SUMMER IS STARTING, THE HOT STALLING ISSUE IS RECURRING. THIS VEHICLE IS WELL PAST IT'S "BREAK IN" PERIOD, NOW AT 11,000 MILES, AND IS STILL DOING IT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10593788
Incident
Aug 21, 2013
Mileage
1,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Feb 3, 2014

THE MOTOR REQUIRES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START WHEN COLD. WHEN THE MOTOR IS AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE THE ENGINE WILL NOT START UNLESS THE THROTTLE IS HELD OPEN. WHEN DRIVING AT LOW RPMS INTERMITTENTLY THE ENGINE WILL DIE WHEN THE CLUTCH IS ENGAGED, SPEED IS NOT A FACTOR CONSIDERING IT HAS HAPPENED AS SLOW AS 15 MPH (ALMOST RESULTING IN A CRASH) AND HAS HAPPENED AS FAST AS 45 MPH (ALMOST RESULTING IN ME GETTING REAR-ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE). *TR

NHTSA ID
10562775
Incident
Aug 17, 2013
Mileage
5 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Kawasaki Ninja Zx-6R by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026110—
2025232056.2
2024182055.1
2023100—
2022100—
2019100—
2015100—
2014100—
2013Viewing800—
2012210—
2011110—
2010010—
2009510—

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.