RoadVitals

2009 Suzuki VL800 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
4
Latest May 24, 2016
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Apr 10, 2011

What this page shows

Our database holds 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Suzuki VL800. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–4 of 4

Powertrain (other)
Filed May 24, 2016

MAKING A DOWNSHIFT FROM 3RD TO 2ND AROUND A CORNER I APPLIED THROTTLE THEN A BIG CLUNK OCCURRED AND I LOST POWER TO MY REAR DRIVE. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, ELUDING TRAFFIC TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT LANE. UPON INVESTIGATION I'VE FOUND OUT THE PROBLEM TO BE THE FINAL DRIVE PROPELLER GEAR AND THE COUPLING WERE RUSTED AND TOTALLY WORN OUT. THIS JOINT HAD NEVER BEEN LUBED DURING ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING ASSEMBLY. THIS LACK OF LUBE HAS CAUSED THE SHAFT TO RUST CAUSING THE FAILURE. THE GREASE CANNOT BE APPLIED UNLESS THE FINAL DRIVE IS TOTALLY REMOVED. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 05-09 MODEL YEARS AS EVIDENCE BY A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED YET. THE COST OF THE CHANGE IS AROUND $600 - $800 DOLLARS BUT THIS DEFFECT CAN CERTAINLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT FOR THE LOSS OF POWER WHILE OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE ON THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ID
10870646
Incident
May 11, 2016
Mileage
1 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 26, 2013
Crash reported

COMING AROUND A CORNER UP A HILL I APPLIED THROTTLE TO GO UP HILL. A LARGE CLUNK OCCURRED AND I LOST ALL FORWARD ABILITY. NOT HAVING POWER I BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALMOST GETTING HIT. I SWERVED TO AVOID A CAR AND WENT DOWN. NOTHING OTHER THAN MINOR SCRAPES AS A RESULT. UPON DETERMINING THE PROBLEM TO BE THE FINAL DRIVE I REMOVED THE PART AND FOUND IT WAS NEVER LUBED DURING ASSEMBLY. THIS CAUSED THE SHAFT TO RUST CAUSING THE FAILURE. THERE IS NO WAY TO APPLY GREASE TO THE PART WITHOUT ENTERING THE NON MAINTENANCE AREA OF THE FINAL DRIVE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE 05-09 MODEL YEARS AS EVIDENCE BY A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED YET. I WAS LUCKY AND MADE IT OUT OF TRAFFIC, OTHERS MAY NOT BE AS LUCKY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10537186
Incident
Aug 21, 2013
Mileage
16,240 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jun 8, 2011

2009 SUZUKI VL800TK9. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REPAIR REIMBURSEMENT AND RECALL *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE RETURNED THE BIKE TO THE DEALER, BECAUSE THE SPEEDOMETER WAS OFF BY 9 MPH. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPONENT, BUT IT DIDN'T CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE DONE AND IT WAS PROBABLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *JB

NHTSA ID
10406374
Incident
Jul 2, 2010
Filed Apr 10, 2011

RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE FROM AMERICAN SUZUKI CORPORATION. MOTOR CYCLE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, IT HAS BEEN THERE A MONTH. I HAVE CHECKED EVERY WEEK. I AM TOLD THEY HAVE GOTTEN NO RESPONSE ABOUT A REPLACEMENT PART. CAN YOU HELP RESOLVE THIS MATTER IN A TIMELY FASHION? COMPONENT THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED: RECTIFIER ASSEMBLIES INSTALLED ON THE AFFECTED MODELS MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHICH CAN CAUSE THE INTERNAL CIRCUIT BOARD TO FAIL IN SERVICE DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT.

NHTSA ID
10396272
Incident
Mar 18, 2011
Mileage
846 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .