RoadVitals

2008 Kawasaki VN900D8F Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
1
Latest Apr 28, 2008
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
1
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.
1

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2008 Kawasaki VN900D8F, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Fuel system1100.0%

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

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I BOUGHT A KAWASAKI VN900D8F MARCH 08. IT WAS DELIVERED AND I STORED IT IN MY GARAGE UNTIL I GOT TRAINING IN THE MSF COURSE. ON 4-12-08, AFTER MSF TRAINING, I FELT CONFIDENT TO TRY MY BIKE. I DROVE SEVERAL BLOCKS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT TO PRACTICE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I HEADED FOR HOME AND EXITED THE PARKING LOT AT ABOUT 20 MPH IN 2ND GEAR. ON THE CORNER, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED UP VERY HIGH AND THE MOTORCYCLE BEGAN TAKING OFF AT A FASTER RATE. I IMMEDIATELY BRAKED WITH THE REAR BRAKE AND SLOWLY SQUEEZED THE FRONT BRAKE, BUT THE BIKE STILL REVVED AND CONTINUED FORWARD. I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE ENGINE SHUTOFF AND I CONTINUED TO TRY AND BRAKE. I FINALLY MANAGED TO SLOW THE BIKE, BUT DUE TO THE UNEXPECTED THROTTLE, THE BIKE'S HANDLEBARS WERE NOT SQUARE AND THE BIKE'S MOMENTUM CAUSED ME TO GO INTO THE SIDE OF THE CURB AND I FELL TO THE SIDEWALK NEXT TO THE CURB. WHEN I GOT UP, I SOUGHT HELP FROM SOME NEIGHBORS. THEY PICKED UP THE BIKE AND ONE OF THE THEM SAID, "HEY, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE LEAKING FUEL". I SAID, "WHERE?" HE SAID, "RIGHT UNDER THE BIKE, FROM THAT HOSE HANGING DOWN!" WHEN I LOOKED, I SAW A HOSE HANGING DOWN FROM THE BIKE. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE GAS TANK GAUGE THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY INDICATED 1/2 TANK NOW SHOWED A FULL TANK AND THE FUEL INJECTOR INDICATOR WAS LIT UP. THE ACCIDENT ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT SIDE ENGINE GUARD POSSIBLY THE FOOTREST. THEY ROLLED IT BACK FOR ME TO MY GARAGE WHERE I PARKED IT FOR SEVERAL DAYS. I ENDED UP BREAKING 5 RIBS ON MY RIGHT SIDE. LATER, I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY CAME OVER AND PICKED IT UP AND TOOK IT TO THE SHOP. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, I CALLED TO CHECK ON THE STATUS AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW BUT THAT THE GM HAD RIDDEN IT AND IT DID NOT "THROTTLE UP" ON HIM. ALL I KNOW IS THAT THE BIKE DID SOMETHING THAT IT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO DO AND DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID 10225954 · filed Apr 28, 2008

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .