2000 Suzuki Dr-Z400S Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2000 Suzuki Dr-Z400S, 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.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE HEAD GASKET ON MY DR-Z400 BLEW AT 45 MPH WITH ONLY 4100 MILES, I USUALLY ONLY DRIVE THE MOTORCYCLE DURING THE SUMMER, AND I ALWAYS PUT NEW OIL AND NEW RADIATOR FLUID, AND DO ALL MAINTENANCE BEFORE I TAKE THE MOTORCYCLE OUT FOR THE YEAR, I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45 ON THE ROAD AND THE HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT, WHEN I GOT IT HOME AND TOOK THE HEAD OFF TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET, IT HAD PITTED ON THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF THE HEAD WHERE THE HEAD GASKET FITS FROM HOT GASES. HOWEVER, AFTER TAKING ALL THE ITEMS TO GET DOWN TO UNTORQUE THE HEAD BOLTS, THE HEAD BOLT LOCATED NEAREST TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS NOT TORQUED DOWN AT ALL, AND WAS LOOSE AND WAS NEVER TORQUED DOWN AT THE FACTORY. I HAVE WORKED ON COUNTLESS MOTORCYCLES AND AUTOS OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A HEAD BOLT LOOSEN ITSELF UP TO THE POINT WHERE THERE WAS NO TORQUE ON IT WHATSOEVER. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A LACK OF TIGHTENING THE HEADBOLT UP AT THE FACTORY. I HAD TO TAKE THIS MOTORCYCLE INTO THE SHOP TO HAVE THE HEAD GROUND DOWN FROM THE PITTING, BUT THIS DEFECT SHOULD NOT HAVE EVEN HAPPENED, IF THE HEADBOLT WAS TORQUED AT THE FACTORY CORRECTLY. THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT. *TR
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .