RoadVitals

2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber

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 Jun 22, 2023
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.
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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.
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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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Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber, most frequently naming the exterior lighting and other / unspecified categories. 88 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

  • Exterior lighting150.0%
  • Other / unspecified150.0%

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

Exterior lightingOther / unspecified
Filed Jun 22, 2023

1.) I would like to begin by saying that my bike is nearly brand new. Only just over 4k miles. So, the following problem is not in any way a result of the bike being an old or beaten down vehicle. The rear brake light and turn signals failed due to the cable that runs under the rear fender to the rear lights (being suspended by very weak and half attached thin metal tabs) becoming dislodged from their incredibly suspect holding tabs and rubbing on the tire. Thus, stripping and destroying the cable. This is available for inspection upon request. The way the cable is attached is the crux of the complaint I am making. It is unfathomable how this could have not only been designed in the first place, but then approved for production. 2.) If the tire had gotten hold of the cable and ripped it from the bike I could have been thrown from the bike and killed. This is an incredibly unsafe and extremely poorly designed portion of the bike. In addition to the feature having the ability to kill any rider it also has resulted in the lights not working. Not having brake lights or turn signals in the rear can result in other drivers not knowing what you are doing and causing an accident. 3.) To my knowledge this problem has not been addressed in any way by the manufacturer or any other person. I am currently waiting for an upcoming appointment with the dealer to address this issue. 4.) There was no warning of the possibility of this issue. One moment it works perfectly fine, next it is sent into catastrophic failure. Luckly in my case I was uninjured, and the cable was only stripped and frayed and did not get grabbed by the tire. Conclusion This problem is insanely dangerous and can result in death. This feature is so irresponsible and poorly designed it bogles the mind. How Triumph can get away with this without a recall is utterly monstrous. There is no reason for this poor design other than to have it fail on purpose or a complete disregard for any concept of safety.

NHTSA ID
11528423
Incident
Jun 22, 2023

Manufacturer communications

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

COM1-35109

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dealer notice announcing the availability of Triumph Diagnostic Tool 2026-07 and dealers should begin using it immediately.

COM2 - 34886

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dealer notice announcing the availability of Triumph Diagnostic Tool 2026-06.1 and dealers should begin using it immediately.

COM5 - 34490

Dealer notice announcing the availability of Technical Bulletin 264.

COM6 - 34491

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dealer notice announcing the availability of Triumph Diagnostic Tool version 2026-06 and dealers should begin using it immediately.

TB264

Technical Bulletin 264 provides instructions that relates to: Triumph Diagnostic Tool - New Motorcycle Connection and Diagnostics Workflow, Triumph Diagnostic Tool - End of Support for Microsoft Windows 10.

COM4 - 34435

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dealer notice advising the availalbility of TDT version 2026-05.2 which resolves the ABS as Not Connected issues in SmartScan, on Tracker 400 & Thruxton 400 models.

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

Triumph Bonneville Bobber by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026000
2025000
2024000
2023000
2022000
2020000
2019000
2018Viewing100
2017000

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.