RoadVitals

1999 Kawasaki ZX600 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.
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Latest Feb 26, 1999
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1999 Kawasaki ZX600, 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

  • 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.

Each component in detail

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

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

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report

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Feb 26, 1999

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 .