Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2014 Yamaha Bolt submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 56 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 56, in the owner's own words
SPEEDOMETER CAN'T BE SEEN WHEN TRAVELING INTO THE SUN OR ANY TIME THE SUN IS AT THE WRONG ANGLE THAT IT CREATES A NON READABLE DISPLAY, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE ALMOST ANY TIME THE SUN IS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT BEING ABLE TO READ YOUR SPEED AS WELL AS POSSIBLY CAUSING SPEEDING TICKETS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURE WITH A RECALL. SERIOUSLY ISSUE.
BIKE SPEEDOMETER HAS AN ISSUE WHERE THE SPEED DISPLAY IS WAY TOO DIM TO SEE IN SUNLIGHT. IN THE RIGHT SUNLIGHT POSITION, IT IS COMPLETELY BLACK AND IMPOSSIBLE TO READ WITHOUT LITERALLY PUTTING YOUR HEAD INCHES FROM IT AND LOOKING AT IT FAR TOO LONG TO TRY TO MAKE ANYTHING OUT. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHILE IN MOTION FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. THIS HAPPENS ON EVERY RIDE FOR ME AT MULTIPLE POINTS DEPENDING ON WHERE THE SUN IS. EVEN WHEN I CAN SEE THE NUMBERS, IT'S STILL TOO DIM FOR JUST A QUICK GLANCE. THERE MUST BE SOME BADLY ENGINEERED POLARIZED LENS IN THERE. THIS IS POOR DESIGN AND A SAFETY HAZARD JUST TO GET A "BLACKED OUT" LOOK. BY 2015 YAMAHA KNOWS THIS WHICH IS WHY IT'S FIXED FROM 2015 MODELS ON. SOME GUYS ARE EVEN BUYING 2015 SPEEDOMETERS TO INSTALL ON THE 2014 BIKE TO FIX THIS. A SPEEDING TICKET IS THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES, THIS IS MY LIFE AND A GAMBLE EVERY TIME I RIDE.
AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY THE SPEEDOMETER IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO READ TO TO THE SUN SHINING ON TO IT . IT TAKES YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD AND YOU SOMETIMES HAVE TO USE YOUR HAND TO COVER THE SPEEDOMETER TO SEE THE NUMBERS WITH IN ITSELF IS UNSAFE WHEN RIDING A MOTORCYCLE WHICH COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT.
CANNOT SEE IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT, DIGITAL DISPLAY DISAPPEARS. FAILURE TO SEE TRAVEL SPEED. WAS PULLED OVER FOR 68MPH IN A 60MPH IN THE AFTERNOON SUN. ONLY A WARNING... BUT NEXT TIME MAYBE NOT SO LUCKY....
WHEN RIDING IN BRIGHT DAYLIGHT IT WAS HARD TO SEE MY DRIVING SPEED. I WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE ONE HAND FROM HANDLEBARS TO SHADE THE SPEEDOMETER TO BE ABLE TO SEE, GIVING ME LESS CONTROL. IT CAUSED ME TO BE UNABLE TO TELL HOW FAST I WAS GOING AND IF I WAS IN COMPLIANCE WITH POSTED SPEED LIMITS. UPDATED 09/17/15*LJ
WHILE RIDING THE YAMAHA BOLT DURING THE DAYTIME IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER DUE TO GLARE. I DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS DUE TO THE GLASS OVER THE LCD ITSELF, BUT UNLESS I TAKE MY EYES OFF OF THE ROAD AND COVER THE GLASS WITH MY HAND I CANNOT GET AN ACCURATE VIEW OF MY SPEED. THIS LEAVES ME VULNERABLE TO ACCIDENTS, SPEEDING TICKETS AND MANY OTHER SITUATIONS THAT ARE DUE TO THIS DISTRACTION. I HOPE YAMAHA WILL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE IN MOST DAYLIGHT SITUATIONS. THE GLASS PLATE OVER THE DIGITAL READOUT IS TOO DARK AND REFLECTIVE. ALL ONE CAN SEE DURING MOST DAY RIDING IS GLARE OR A BLACK PANE. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHAT SPEED THE MOTORCYCLE IS GOING SINCE THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. ONE CANNOT JUDGE IF THEY HAVE SLOWED TO REQUIRED SPEEDS IN MARKED "REDUCED SPEED" AREAS SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION AND DANGEROUS CURVES. ONE CANNOT KNOW IF THEY ARE ENTERING TRAFFIC AT A SAFE SPEED OR EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMITS POSTED. TURN SIGNAL FLASHER IS NOT VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DRIVE TO KNOW IF HIS TURN SIGNAL IS ON OR OFF. WARNING LIGHTS ARE NOT VISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DRIVER TO RESPOND TO ANY POTENTIAL MECHANICAL EMERGENCY SHOWN BY LIGHTS.
SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE WHEN THE SUN IS AT CERTAIN ANGLES. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO READ WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING ON IT AT CERTAIN ANGLES, MAKING IT UNCLEAR TO THE RIDER WHAT SPEED THE BIKE IS CURRENTLY GOING. THIS IS A DANGER TO ROAD SAFETY, A POSSIBILITY OF GETTING A TICKET, AND A NUISANCE. YAMAHA HAS BEEN UNHELPFUL AND UNCOOPERATIVE WHEN APPROACHED VIA EMAIL AND TELEPHONE. THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WAS ALSO AN UNSUCCESSFUL AVENUE TO FILE A COMPLAINT. *TR
LCD SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER IS NOT VISIBLE (DARK) WHEN DRIVING TOWARD THE SUN. UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE SPEED AND OTHER LCD READINGS. THIS CAUSES A DISTRACTION WHEN TRYING TO READ THE METER. THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER IS ONLY VISIBLE WHEN SUN IS BEHIND THE RIDER OR AT NIGHT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YAMAHA CHANGED THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER ON THE 2015 MODEL MAKING IT MORE VISIBLE. *TR
IN ANY CONDITION OTHER THAN NIGHTTIME OR EXTREMELY OVERCAST I CANNOT SEE THE SPEED OR ANY OF THE INDICATOR LIGHTS ON MY YAMAHA BOLT 2014 SPEEDOMETER. *TR
CAN NOT VIEW SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY IN MOST DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS. THIS CREATES A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION REQUIRING THE RIDER TO AVERT EYES FROM THE ROAD AND FOCUS ON SPEEDOMETER FOR 3-5 SECONDS. IN SOME CONDITIONS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ SPEEDOMETER AT ALL (POLARIZED LENSES ON SUNGLASSES). *TR
UNDER NORMAL DAYLIGHT DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE LCD SPEEDOMETER WILL BLACK OUT COMPLETELY WHEN THE SUN SHINES AT ANY ANGLE OTHER THAN DIRECTLY ON THE CLUSTER. I HAVE NEARLY BEEN IN 3 ACCIDENTS NOW BECAUSE MY ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED (MORE THAN A MOMENTARY GLANCE) ON FIGURING OUT HOW FAST I AM GOING. THE SPEEDOMETER IS SO DARK, IN FACT, I HAVE GIVEN UP WORRYING ABOUT HOW FAST I'M GOING MOST TIMES, WHICH IS STILL UNSAFE. *TR
IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2014 MODEL BECAUSE YAMAHA TINTED THE GLASS ON THE LENS TOO MUCH. IT CAN ONLY BE READ IF THE SUN IS OUT AND DIRECTLY BEHIND YOU, OR AT NIGHT WHEN THE BACKLIGHT CAN BE SEEN. THIS CREATES AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE RIDING SITUATION. YAMAHA CORRECTED THE LENS ON THE 2015 MODEL, BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE ON THE 2014 MODELS. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY CANNOT BE SEEN UNLESS IT IS DARK OR SUN IS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE BIKE. IF SUN IS OVER, TO SIDE OR BEHIND, THE GLASS IS BLACK AND VITAL INFORMATION CANNOT BE SEEN. *TR
UNLESS THE SUN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND RIDER OR NIGHT TIME, SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. *TR
WITH THE SUN SHINING THE SPEEDOMETER TURNS COMPLETELY BLACK MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ YOUR SPEED! *TR
THE YAMAHA STAR BOLT SPEEDOMETER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ IN CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS. THAT IS, WITH A BRIGHT SUN OVERHEAD. THE POLARIZED GLASS IN THE LCD READOUT BECOMES BLACK, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN I DRIVE THROUGH SCHOOL ZONES. AT TIMES, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE DISPLAY AND CAN CAUSE ME TO DRIVE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, ENCROACHING ON THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN. OTHER TIMES, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER, RESULTING IN A TAILGATING SITUATION WITH OTHER AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS WHO THINK I'M GOING SLOW ON PURPOSE WHEN IN REALITY, I'M TRYING TO SAFELY NEGOTIATE THE ROAD AT THE CORRECT POSTED SPEED LIMIT AND HAVING TO USE MY 'GUT' FEELING RATHER THAN A CALIBRATED, USEFUL INSTRUMENT (THE SPEEDOMETER). YAMAHA, FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED OVER IT. RECALL, NOT AN UPGRADE AS YOU'VE INDICATED THROUGH THE STAR MOTORCYCLES HOTLINE (800.656.7695). YOU'RE HIDING BEHIND WORDS. I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE CALLED YOU AND THAT WAS YOUR EXPLANATION. *TR
THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2014 BOLT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ UNDER CERTAIN LIGHT. I CONTACTED YAMAHA TO ASK ABOUT THIS AFTER READING MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS AND SEEING THAT THEY HAD FIXED THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2015 MODEL AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE 2014 SPEEDOMETER, THEY KNOW IT CAN BE HARD TO READ IN CERTAIN LIGHT BUT THEY DON'T CONSIDER THAT A SAFETY HAZARD OR DEFECT. I BELIEVE NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL MY CURRENT SPEED IS A DEFECT CONSIDERING THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT A SPEEDOMETER IS DESIGNED TO DO. ALSO, IT CAN BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT LEAVES YOU LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR SPEEDOMETER LONGER INSTEAD OF WATCHING WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU. *TR
SPEEDOMETER IS VERY HARD TO READ IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT OR SPEED VIOLATIONS. NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. ALSO, YAMAHA KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE ON THE 2015 MODELS A SELLING POINT IS "NEW SPEEDOMETER TO CORRECT 2014 GLARE ISSUES." WHY WOULD THEY NEED TO FIX IT IF THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *TR
THE OEM SPEEDOMETER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ IN DAYLIGHT. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE BIKE GOES BLACK IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND YOU CANNOT READ IT AT ALL. *TR
THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNREADABLE UNDER CERTAIN LIGHTING CONDITIONS. ANGLED SUNLIGHT (MORNING, EVENING WHEN LIGHT IS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE) CREATES A CONDITION WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER READOUT IS UNREADABLE. THE ONLY METHOD OF MEASURING SPEED IS BY SURROUNDING TRAFFIC. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MOTORCYCLE DRIVERS, ESPECIALLY ON EXPRESSWAYS AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES BY LOCATION. *JS
THE DIGITAL LCD SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHECK YOUR SPEED OR ODOMETER READING. EXCESSIVE OR IMPROPER SPEEDS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO MONITOR SAFELY ENDANGERING THE RIDER, THE OTHER DRIVERS THAT MAY BE INVOLVED IN ANY SPEED RELATED ACCIDENTS, AND THE PATROL OFFICERS ISSUING THE TICKET THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. YAMAHA HAS INDIRECTLY ADMITTED THE DEFAULT BY REPLACING THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2015 MODELS WITH A READABLE ONE. MY GREATEST CONCERN IS THE FACT THAT THIS A ENTRY LEVEL, AFFORDABLE MOTORCYCLE THAT MANY INEXPERIENCED RIDERS HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED. AN INEXPERIENCED RIDER OFTEN HAS DIFFICULTY GAUGING THE PROPER SPEEDS FOR CURVES AND WET CONDITIONS UNTIL THEY GAIN THE PROPER EXPERIENCE. THEY TEND TO RELY ON THE SPEEDOMETER BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT YET DEVELOPED A FEEL FOR RIDING. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE FAULTY SPEEDOMETER IS GOING TO COST SOMEONE THEIR LIFE. *TR
THE VEHICLE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT PERFORM AS NEEDED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO OPERATOR. ILLUMINATION OF SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY IS NOT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH DURING TIMES OF DAY WHERE SUNLIGHT IS BRIGHT. THE SPEEDOMETER IS A DIGITAL DISPLAY BEHIND GLASS THAT APPEARS TO BE TINTED. NO METHOD FOR OPERATOR TO ADJUST OR ANY AUTOMATIC MEANS OF ADJUSTMENT OF READOUT FOR CONDITIONS EXISTS. OPERATORS ARE AT RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READOUT CANNOT BE READ TO ADJUST THEIR SPEED TO RECOMMENDED SPEEDS POSTED TO SAFELY NAVIGATE DANGEROUS ROADS, RAMPS, CURVES, ROUGH ROAD AND OTHER CONDITIONS. MANY OTHER CONDITIONS EXIST WHERE THE IMPORTANCE FOR OPERATORS TO TRAVEL AT SAFE POSTED SPEEDS IS PARAMOUNT FOR THE OPERATOR'S AND OR THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH AND SAFETY. BECAUSE THIS SPEEDOMETER CANNOT BE READ IT PUTS THE OPERATOR AND THE PUBLIC AT RISK. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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