2014 Triumph Rocket Iii Roadster 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 2014 Triumph Rocket Iii Roadster, 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
- Powertrain (other)2100.0%
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
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
CHANGING GEARS FROM 4TH INTO 5TH THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP CAUSING THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP AND SLIDE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CLUTCH LEVER AND THE REAR WHEEL RELEASED. I MOVED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHIFTED INTO 1ST GEAR, WHEN RELEASING THE CLUTCH THE TRANSMISSION WAS STILL LOCKED UP. THIS WAS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AS I WAS TRAVELING AT OVER 65 MPH ON A BUSY INTERSTATE.
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 .