RoadVitals

1999 Kawasaki ZX600

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.
1
Latest Feb 26, 1999
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.
0
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.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1999 Kawasaki ZX600, most frequently naming the engine category.

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

  • Engine1100.0%

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

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

Engine
Filed Feb 26, 1999
Fire reported

AKA ZX600G2 I STARTED MY MOTORCYCLE AND LET IT WARM UP FOR 1-2 MINUTES (NORMAL STARTING PROCEDURE). I WAS JUST ABOUT TO RIDE AWAY WHEN I SMELLED WOOD BURNING. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE SMOKE BILLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY MOTORCYCLE. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, YET THE SMOKE CONTINUED FOR 2 MINUTES. I REMOVED THE RIGHT LOWER BODY PANEL TO REVEAL A 10 MM SMOLDERING PIECE OF WOOD (OR TREE BARK) ON THE LOWER EXHAUST HEADERS. FORTUNATELY, THE MOTORCYCLE'S GASOLINE DID NOT IGNITE. THIS MOTORCYCLE HAS AN IN-LINE FOUR CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT. THE EXHAUST PIPES EXIT THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND CURVE DOWN (BEHIND THE FRONT TIRE) WHERE THEY CONVERGE UNDER THE ENGINE TO FORM A 4 INTO 1 EXHAUST. THERE IS ENOUGH OF A GAP BETWEEN THE FRONT OF THE FOUR EXHUAST PIPES TO ALLOW ROAD DEBRIS (KICKED UP BY THE FRONT TIRE) TO BE DEPOSITED ON THE PARALLEL HORIZONTAL SECTIONS OF THE EXHAUST PIPES. THE GAP BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL SECTIONS IS TOO NARROW TO ALLOW ROAD DEBRIS TO FALL AWAY. THUS A FIRE TRAP EXISTS. THIS COULD BE REPEATED BY RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE AT NORMAL SPEEDS OVER DRY WOOD CHIPS. THE SPACING BETWEEN THE LOWER, HORIZONTAL PORTIONS OF THE EXHAUST PIPES NEEDS TO BE GREATER. SEVERAL OTHER MOTORCYCLE MODELS AND MAKES HAVE THIS DESIGN FLAW. I HAVE DESIGNED AND IMPLIMENTED A MESS ALUMINUM GRILLE WHICH MOUNTS IN FRONT OF THE EXHAUST PIPES TO BLOCK ROAD DEBRIS FOM BEING DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST PIPES. I SENT A LETTER TO KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP USA, PO BOX 25252, SANTA ANA, CA 92799-5252 WITHOUT REPLY. SINCERELY, DR. MARK HOM, MD.

NHTSA ID
703787
Incident
Feb 14, 1999

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Kawasaki ZX600 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2012100—
2011200—
1999Viewing100—
1998000—
1995200—
1994010—
1993310—
1985010—

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.