RoadVitals

2023 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S

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.
2
Latest Jun 1, 2026
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2023 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S, most frequently naming the engine and fuel system categories. 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

  • Engine150.0%
  • Fuel system150.0%

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 Jun 1, 2026

While driving the motorcycle at random times the engine stops running and looses power. The motorcycle has been looked at by a dealer multiple times and found no issues. The motorcycle screen goes blank and reboots. That is when it looses power. The screen when it reboots flashes a red bar at bottom of screen that first says TC failure, then changes to ECU failure. The Engine warning light is displayed as well as the TC warning light. Sometimes it stays running other times it shuts off. This problem has been going on for several months even before the e-throttle recall was performed and has continued since that recall fix was applied. I have pictures of the screen and a video of it occurring.

NHTSA ID
11741350
Incident
Jun 1, 2026
Fuel system
Filed Sep 2, 2025

The gas gauge has not worked since bought new in August 2024. This bike has been in dealers for months on end, half the time I've owned it. It is a lemon if that applies to motorcycles. I would like KTM to buy it back.

NHTSA ID
11684533
Incident
Aug 3, 2024

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

KTB2406

SUSPENSION

SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR PRELOAD ADJUSTER In the course of continuous product improvement and further development, the software of the Preload adjuster of the above-mentioned models optimized in order to eliminate occasional positional errors or stalling. KTM therefore recommends updating the SCU (Suspension Control Unit) software. The update has resulted in the following innovations: The end positions of the preload adjuster have been adjusted to prevent it from getting stuck in the end stop. The current output was increased to move off from the end stop.

KTB2407

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SOFTWARE UPDATE OF THE RACE ON SYSTEM In the course of continuous product improvement and further development, the locking behavior of the RaceOn fuel tank cap on the above-mentioned models has been modified to prevent occasional damage. For this purpose, the time between switching off the ignition and the automatic locking of the fuel tank cap was increased from 60 seconds to 120 seconds. KTM therefore recommends updating the software of the RaceOn lock system.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

KTM 1290 Super Adventure S by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024000—
2023Viewing200—
2022200—
2021000—
2020200—
2019100—
2018000—

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.