RoadVitals

2013 Victory Judge

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 26, 2019
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 Sep 18, 2012
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 2013 Victory Judge, most frequently naming the body & structure, driver assistance and other / unspecified categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year.

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

  • Body & structure133.3%
  • Driver assistance133.3%
  • Other / unspecified133.3%

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
12V457000

EQUIPMENT

Sep 18, 2012
6,618 units potentially affected
The defect: Polaris is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Victory motorcycles manufactured from January 3, 2012, through August 15, 2012. A torqueing procedure may have been missed on some throttle cable retention nuts. On certain motorcycles, the throttle cable retention nuts for either the pull or push throttle cable may have not been torqued correctly.
The risk: If the torqueing is missed and the retention nuts are loose, the retention nuts closest to the throttle body can become dislodged and interfere with the throttle function, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Victory will notify owners and dealers will correctly torque the fasteners free of charge. The safety recall began on October 4, 2012. Owners may contact Victory consumer service department by calling 1-888-704-5290.
POLARIS INDUSTRIES, INC.Manufacturer number V-12-01View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Driver assistance
Filed Jan 26, 2019

"RAPID DECELERATING WHILE RIDING ON THE INTERSTATE" ( FIRST ISSUE). ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 3RD, 2018 I GOT ON INTERSTATE 14 TRAVELING SOUTH. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES OF RIDING THE BIKE, I NOTICED THAT MY SPEED HAD DECELERATED FROM 60 MPH TO 40 MPH. I QUICKLY CHANGED INTO THE FIRST LANE OF TRAFFIC TO AVOID A REAR COLLISION WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BIKE DECELERATED TO 20 MPH. I SUDDENLY BEGAN TO PANIC SO I QUICKLY AND SAFELY MOVED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I LET THE BIKE IDLE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND SAFELY MERGED INTO THE FIRST LANE OF THE INTERSTATE. I RODE THE MOTORCYCLE SAFELY BACK HOME AND EMPTIED THE FUEL TANK. THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE A FUEL ISSUE, I FILLED THE TANK WITH NEW FUEL. (SECOND ISSUE). ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 28TH, 2018. I WENT FOR ANOTHER RIDE VIA SIERRA HIGHWAY SOUTH. AFTER RIDING THE BIKE FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES, THE BIKE AGAIN BEGAN TO DECELERATE FROM 60 MPH TO 30 MPH. KNOWING THAT THIS HAPPENED AGAIN I SAFELY PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND ALLOWED THE BIKE TO IDLE FOR 10 MINUTES. FOR SAFETY REASONS I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD THE BIKE TOWED TO MY RESIDENCE. I HAVE OWNED MANY OTHER MOTORCYCLES IN THE PAST (KAWASAKI, YAMAHA, HONDA, SUZUKI) AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED. IN MY 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE RIDING MOTORCYCLES I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE. I DO NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE AGAIN UNTIL POLARIS CAN RESTORE MY FAITH AND PROVIDE A ROOT CAUSE TOO BOTH OF THESE UNSAFE OCCURRENCES. I HAVE RECENTLY CONTACTED POLARIS REQUESTING IF THERE HAS BEEN ANY RECALLS OR SYSTEMIC ISSUES REGARDING THIS YEAR, MAKE & MODEL OR OTHER SIMILAR MODELS. HOWEVER, I HAVE RESEARCHED ON THE INTERNET OTHER MODELS OF VICTORY MOTORCYCLES AND DISCOVERED SIMILAR POWER STALLS AND DECELERATION ISSUES. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM

NHTSA ID
11172305
Incident
Dec 3, 2018
Mileage
5,243 mi
Body & structureOther / unspecified
Filed Oct 3, 2016

THE 5 BOLTS THAT CONNECT THE BELT PULLEY TO THE REAR WHEEL SHEARED OFF COMPLETELY. I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET. I HAD JUST TAKEN OFF FROM A STOP LIGHT, SHIFTED FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE BIKE WOULD NOT GRAB AND GO FORWARD. I TRIED TO SHIFT DOWN AND GIVE GAS AGAIN AND NOTHING. I WAS GOING BETWEEN 40-50MPH. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD UNHARMED. I GOT OFF MY BIKE AND BEGAN TO INSPECT IT WHEN I SAW A LARGE BOLT ON THE GROUND. I PICKED IT UP AND REALIZED IT WAS HOT SO IT MUST HAVE COME OFF MY BIKE. A FELLOW MOTORCYCLE RIDER PULLED OVER TO MAKE SURE I WAS OK AND HELPED ME DETERMINE WHERE THE BOLTS CAME FROM AND WHY I COULD NOT GET MY BIKE INTO GEAR. THIS IS WHEN I REALIZED THEY WERE ALL GONE. THE REAR WHEEL, PULLEY AND SWING ARM WHERE DAMAGED IN THE PROCESS. THIS CAUSES A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THE ENTIRE DRIVE SYSTEM OF THE MOTORCYCLE. THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE POWDER COATING ON THE PULLEY CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN HOWEVER VICTORY HAS TAKEN NO STEPS TO FIX THIS ISSUE. LUCKILY FOR ME I DID NOT WRECK OR DIE DUE TO THIS ISSUE. HOWEVER I HAVE TALKED WITH OVER 20 PEOPLE ON A FORUM THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME EXACT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TO THEIR BIKES. IT IS NOT LIMITED TO ONE MODEL OR YEAR. VICTORY IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS ISSUE AND THE COST IS FALLING TO THE CONSUMER. MUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVE SOMEONE HAS DIED BEFORE THEY WILL TAKE ACTION.

NHTSA ID
10911138
Incident
Sep 30, 2016
Mileage
5,200 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Victory Judge by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2014010—
2013Viewing210—
2012010—

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.