Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Kawasaki Versys, most frequently naming the visibility, electrical and other / unspecified categories.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2008 | 1 | 1 |
| Oct 2008 | 1 | 2 |
| Jun 2009 | 1 | 3 |
| Aug 2009 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 2009 | 2 | 6 |
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
2008 KAWASAKI VERSYS MOTORCYCLE MIRRORS COME LOOSE AND SPIN WHILE UNDERWAY. OCCURS RANDOMLY AFTER RE-ALIGNMENT AND TIGHTENING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NUTS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN WHEN RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE AND THE MANUFACTURER/DEALER SHOULD REPLACE THE EXISTING MIRRORS WITH ONES THAT DO NOT COME LOOSE. *TR
I HAVE A 2008 KAWASAKI VERSYS AND THE MIRRORS MOVE AROUND,THEY WILL NOT STAY AT A FIXED POINT. I THINK IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE ND WOULD LIKE KAWASAKI TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KAWASAKI VERSYS MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE TIRE SHOP STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE TECH INTERNATIONAL VALVE STEM AND REPLACED THE TIRE. THERE WERE PREVIOUS TIRE FAILURES ON THE FRONT TIRES ON TWO OCCASIONS ALSO CAUSED BY THE VALVE STEMS. THE CONTACT OBSERVED CRACKS IN THE TIRES PRIOR TO THE FAILURE.
THE PROBLEM: LEFT MIRROR ON THE KAWASAKI VERSYS MOTORCYCLE WILL NOT HOLD ITS POSITION. FREQUENCY: THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. IT EFFECTS MY MOTORCYCLE ABOUT EVERY 4 RIDES. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THIS IS A NORMAL FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE. THIS ISSUE RENDERS THE MIRROR USELESS AND A MAJOR DISTRACTION. WHY: DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE MIRROR ON THE BIKE AND THE VIBRATION OF THE MOTOR ON THE MOTORCYCLE (THE VIBRATION IS MINOR). THIS VIBRATION CAUSES THE MOUNT FOR THE MIRROR TO LOOSEN AND THEN THE WIND HITTING THE MIRROR CAUSES THE MIRROR TO ROTATE INWARD TOWARD THE RIDER. THIS ROTATION RENDERS THE MIRROR USELESS CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION BY CAUSING THE MIRROR TO BE USELESS TO THE RIDER IMPAIRING THEIR AWARENESS OF THERE SURROUNDING AND A DIRECT DISTRACTION TO THE RIDER AS THEY TRY TO SOLVE THE SITUATION WHILE RIDING. SOLUTION: REVERSE THREAD THE MOUNT FOR THE MIRROR. THIS WILL CAUSE THE MIRROR TO TIGHTEN ITSELF DUE TO THE VIBRATION AND WIND. BESIDES GLUING THE PIECE IN PLACE THERE IS NO REAL SOLUTION THAT THE OWNER ON THE PRODUCT CAN DUE WITHOUT REPLACING WITH AND AFTER MARKET UNIT. *TR
THE MIRRORS ON MY 2008 KAWASAKI VERSYS MOTORCYCLE (BOUGHT IN SEPTEMBER, NOW WITH ABOUT 325 MILES ON IT) WILL NOT STAY AS SET: AS I DRIVE THEY LOOSEN AND FLOP AROUND SO THAT I HAVE NO REARWARD VISION, UNLESS I HOLD THE MIRROR WITH MY HAND, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE IS SAFE. I REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER, AND THEY APPLIED FOR A WARRANTY FIX, BUT TOLD ME THAT KAWASAKI HAS REFUSED A WARRANTY FIX. ON AN INTERNET FORUM FOR THE VERSYS MOTORCYCLE, MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM, AND MANY HAVE BOUGHT OTHER MIRRORS TO FIX WHAT KAWASAKI WILL NOT! *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KAWASAKI VERSYS (NA) MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT DROPPED THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES WHILE IT WAS STATIONARY. THE IGNITION MODULE WAS SPINNING AND HE COULD NOT REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STARTED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE DROPPING OF THE BIKE WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. CURRENTLY, THE IGNITION IS STUCK IN THE LOCK POSITION, THE KEY CANNOT BE REMOVED, AND THE LIGHTS WILL NOT ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 2,200.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008Viewing | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
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.