RoadVitals

2012 Triumph Tiger

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 Jan 23, 2017
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.
1
Latest Jan 15, 2014
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 2012 Triumph Tiger, most frequently naming the exterior lighting and brakes categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 92 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 lighting266.7%
  • Brakes133.3%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
14V009000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE; FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

Jan 15, 2014
2,800 units potentially affected
The defect: Triumph Motorcycles America, LTD (Triumph) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Tiger Explorer ABS A1 and 2013-2014 Tiger Explorer Spoke ABS XC A1 and Trophy SE A1 motorcycles manufactured November 17, 2011, through December 16, 2013. In the affected motorcycles, the electronic control unit (ECU) hardware and software may improperly detect the motorcyle's throttle position resulting in the motorcycle shutting down.
The risk: An unexpected shutdown increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Triumph will notify owners, and dealers will update and install new ECU hardware and software, free of charge. The recall began on January 24, 2014. Customers may contact Triumph at 1-678-854-2010.
Triumph Motorcycles America, LTDView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Exterior lighting
Filed Jan 23, 2017

ALL THE TURN SIGNAL STALKS HAVE BROKEN EXCEPT THE LEFT FRONT THROUGH NORMAL RIDING, BIKE HAS NEVER BEEN DOWN. I CAN TELL THE LEFT FRONT WAS REPLACED BEFORE I BOUGHT THE BIKE IN JANUARY OF 2016 BECAUSE IT HAS WITNESS MARKS IN THE BULB HOUSING AND THE STALK MATERIAL IS RUBBERY AND THE MATERIAL ON THE THREE BROKEN STALKS ARE SIMILAR TO A HARD WAX CONSISTENCY. I GAVE MY VIN # TO MY LOCAL TRIUMPH DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THERE IS NO RECALLS ON THIS BIKE SO I ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE THREE BROKEN STEMS WITH EPOXY WITHOUT SUCCESS. I LATER GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THE RECALL ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE, I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER AGAIN WITH THE RECALL INFO AND THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CALL ME BACK WHICH THEY NEVER DID. I THEN CALLED THE TRIUMPH USA TOLL FREE CUSTOMER NUMBER, TOLD THEM THE ISSUE, GAVE THEM MY VIN#, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ALL FOUR STALKS WERE REPLACED BY THE SELLING DEALER IN CARTERSVILLE, GA, WHICH, I CAN ASSURE YOU, THREE WERE NEVER DONE. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP WASN'T INTERESTED IN HELPING ME OUT, JUST BASICALLY TOLD ME "TOO BAD". I LEFT A MESSAGE WITH HIS SUPERVISOR [XXX] ON OCT. 13, 2016 AND NEVER HEARD ANYTHING AGAIN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
10946942
Incident
Oct 13, 2016
Mileage
900 mi
BrakesExterior lighting
Filed Jul 11, 2012

REAR BRAKE LIGHT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE UNLESS FIRM PRESSURE IS USED ON THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER (REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH IS OK). *TR

NHTSA ID
10465335
Incident
Jun 13, 2012
Mileage
2 mi

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 Tiger by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2014110—
2013210—
2012Viewing210—
2006100—
2005000—
2004110—
2003010—
2002110—
2001030—
2000030—
1999120—

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.