2024 Kawasaki Ninja Zx-6R Engine Problems

See attached document for complaint. The undersigned is legal counsel representing XXXXXXXXXXX in the above-mentioned matter. Please be advised that XXXXXXXXXX purchased a new Kawasaki 2024 motorcycle model ZX636JRFBN on May 9, 2024 with total purchase price of $13,981.92. On or about April of 2025, XXXXXXXXXXX received a recall notice with follow up notice in June of 2025 NHTSA Recall No. 25V376 “Crankshaft Bearing Seizure” causing the engine to potentially “lose engine power unexpectedly due to a seizure of the #5 crankshaft bearing” that may lead to an increased risk of a crash. Given the nature of the recall, the notice is marked with a “DO NOT RIDE” advisory until the repair is made and that the customer is to contact a dealer for such repair. Sometime on or about late August of 2025, the motorcycle was inspected at a Kawasaki dealership in an effort to address the recall. This was the earliest that the dealership could address the recall nearly three months after getting the “DO NOT RIDE” notice. The mechanic who examined the motorcycle indicated that it did not appear that the bike had the defect. In November of 2025, an additional recall notice “Crankshaft Bushing Seizure” was issued under Recall # 25V798 since the notice acknowledges that a prior repair on the vehicle may not have addressed the defect. A second letter was issued in November of 2025 under the same recall notice indicating the parts needed for the repair are not available. Finally, another notice was issued under the same recall, 25V798. Again a “DO NOT RIDE” warning is issued on this notice. The letter advises that the “method used to torque the crankcase bolts will be different than the one used in the prior recall “and that the recall applies to “vehicles already remedied under recall campaign MC25-08 (NHSTA Recall #25V376). Once again there are instructions to contact a dealer for repairs. It is presumed that parts are now available to attempt another repair. Due to the critical safety issue relating to the recalls, the unreasonabl

NHTSA ID

11722245

Incident

Jan 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V376000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and 25V798000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the motorcycle backfired. The local Oasis Outdoors - Powersports dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they did not repair Kawasaki motorcycles. The contact stated that the dealer was a Kawasaki dealer. The contact stated that the nearest Kawasaki dealer was 100 miles away. The motorcycle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11702943

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

Recall was issued for crankshaft bearing failure and recall was performed and completed. Kawasaki performed the inspection and repair, however kawasaki had failed to adequately fix the issue causing prolonged headaches and paying for something that is unsafe to opperate. All kawasaki is telling people is dont ride but not providing an adequate fix to make the bike safe again or theyre also refusing to buy the bikes back.

NHTSA ID

11700482

Incident

Nov 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Motorcycle. The contact stated that the motorcycle was making an abnormal sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received a notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to the bearing on the crankshaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and extended the warranty, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

NHTSA ID

11699340

Incident

Jun 27, 2025

Mileage

4,000 mi

Unknown. Fatal motorcycle accident. Based on the police report, one witness said he blew a tire and all witnesses state that he and the bike went airborn. The motorcycle was part of the group of ZX6R's recalled by Kawasaki though its since been salvaged. The officer at the scene confirmed the bikes tire was intact so there's some suspicion that something else happened such as other parts coming off of the bike or the wheel smoking such as if it had locked up.

NHTSA ID

11689033

Incident

Mar 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted, inspected the vehicle, and informed the contact that the bearing for the crankshaft was damaged. The dealer had taken the engine out but had not repaired the vehicle. The motorcycle had not been returned. The dealer kept the motorcycle for 11 days, even though the recall repair stated that the repair should take approximately 11 hours. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11675679

Incident

Jul 12, 2025

Mileage

10,000 mi

A recall has been issued and the motorcycle deemed unsafe to ride. My local dealership has been told to expect at minimum 3 weeks to receive the kit required to conduct the inspection. This issue has been so widespread that the wait time will be substantial. Even then, there will be a substantial loss of resale value as well as risk of further malfunctions after having a local mechanic disassemble and reassemble the engine.

NHTSA ID

11670799

Incident

Jul 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and refused to accept the motorcycle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11670523

Incident

Jun 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V376000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11670224

Incident

May 30, 2025

I own a 2024 Kawasaki KRT ABS ZX6R. They want to do an inspection that will not be sufficient to ride my motorcycle safely. The absolute only way for Kawasaki to do that would be to open the engine up to where they could see the actual crank shaft. I feel we are all being jerked around with this. They won't be able to deem it safe simply by inspecting the outer bearing. My motorcycle doesn't even have 300 miles on it. I haven't been able to ride it for almost a month now. It sitting can cause further damage. I'm not sure if my State of Nevada will be one of the States that offer a refund. I am making payments on a motorcycle that I cannot ride. Which is unexceptable.

NHTSA ID

11670134

Incident

May 5, 2025

Manufacturer issued a Do Not Ride recall (25V376) but failed to provide a safe alternative or compensation. This has created a transportation hardship. I also felt very worried that I had been riding this motorcycle which had this serious issue. There is no timeline from the manufacturer on when the problem will be fixed. I'm extremely disappointed with this situation on a one year old bike. -thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11669613

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

#5 Bearing is out of torque putting engine at risk of seizure. Bike is stored and liquids drained pending recall and repair.

NHTSA ID

11669479

Incident

Jun 6, 2025

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding my 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX‑6R. June 22, 2025, I received two official “Do Not Ride” letters from Kawasaki. These letters state that, due to a possible internal engine defect, the motorcycle is unsafe to operate. My authorized Kawasaki dealer has confirmed that my unit is affected by a manufacturing issue that can cause engine seizure without warning, leading to serious risk of crash, injury, or death. It’s also important to note that Kawasaki notified dealers of this issue on June 4, 2025—over two weeks ago. Despite this, I only received my first formal customer notice on June 22. In the meantime, I was unknowingly operating a potentially dangerous motorcycle. Kawasaki has not provided a fix, recall repair, or buyback option. The bike is currently parked and unusable, while I continue to incur insurance costs, loss of use, and storage burden. The issue appears to stem from an over-torqued crankshaft bolt or related internal engine component — a known problem on other 2024 ZX‑6R units already recalled. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this case further and ensure all affected motorcycles — including those not yet officially listed by VIN — are promptly included in the recall campaign and made eligible for full safety repair, buyback or additional compensation.

NHTSA ID

11669438

Incident

Jun 22, 2025

I purchased a brand new 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R. At just 3,500 miles, the engine catastrophically failed while I was riding. The bike seized and shut off suddenly without warning. This was months before Kawasaki issued their official “do not ride” notice for this known issue. I received no prior warning and had no opportunity to prevent the failure. The dealership confirmed the failure and linked it to a known internal defect affecting this model, which has since triggered a recall. My bike has now been sitting at the dealership for over 7 months with no resolution, no ETA, and no support from Kawasaki. Despite this being a critical safety issue, Kawasaki has offered no compensation, replacement, or meaningful update. I’ve been forced to continue paying insurance on a bike that was brand new and is now completely unusable. Their “do not ride” letter arrived after the engine was already blown. This is a serious manufacturer defect with real safety consequences. The lack of accountability and customer support is unacceptable.

NHTSA ID

11668253

Incident

Dec 20, 2024

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding my 2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX‑6R. Today, June 20, 2025, I received three official “Do Not Ride” letters from Kawasaki. These letters state that, due to a possible internal engine defect, the motorcycle is unsafe to operate. My authorized Kawasaki dealer has confirmed that my unit is affected by a manufacturing issue that can cause engine seizure without warning, leading to serious risk of crash, injury, or death. It’s also important to note that Kawasaki notified dealers of this issue on June 4, 2025—over two weeks ago. Despite this, I only received my first formal customer notice today, June 20. In the meantime, I was unknowingly operating a potentially dangerous motorcycle. Kawasaki has not provided a fix, recall repair, or buyback option. The bike is currently parked and unusable, while I continue to incur insurance costs, loss of use, and storage burden. The issue appears to stem from an over-torqued crankshaft bolt or related internal engine component — a known problem on other 2024 ZX‑6R units already recalled. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this case further and ensure all affected motorcycles — including those not yet officially listed by VIN — are promptly included in the recall campaign and made eligible for full safety repair, buyback or additional compensation.

NHTSA ID

11668215

Incident

Jun 4, 2025

As you are probably aware of this issue, there is a "do not ride" order in place for my 2024 Kawasaki ZX6R. The dealership confirmed that my VIN has been involved. I just got it, and I am paying for a motorcycle that cannot be used. The issues are below. This is unacceptable. safety recall report revealed certain vehicles may lose engine power during operation due to a seizure of the No. 5 metal crankshaft bushing leading to certain vehicles losing engine power and increasing the chance of a crash. "The bolts holding the crankshaft together in the crank case were over-torqued, and as a result the #5 metal crankshaft bushing can be damaged by improper oil clearance between the crankshaft and the bushing," a description of the issue read. Riders won't receive a warning before the potentially catastrophic issue arises, according to the document.

NHTSA ID

11667196

Incident

Jun 9, 2025