2004 Yamaha FZ6 Fuel system Problems

VEHICLE: 2004 YAMAHA FZ6 MOTORCYCLE, PURCHASE NEW 12/93. INTERMITTENTLY, THE ENGINE SURGES, CUTS OUT, LUGS, STALLS/QUITS AT VARYING TIMES AND SPEEDS/RIDING SITUATIONS. STOPPING THE BIKE, TURNING IGNITION OFF AND ON TEMPORARILY CORRECTS PROBLEM, BUT PROBLEM ALWAYS RECURS. DIFFERENT WEATHER TEMPERATURES AND FUEL GRADES HAVE NO POSITIVE EFFECT. BIKE MAY STALL AT AN INTERSECTION STOP, AT HIGHWAY SPEED, ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING, ON STRAIGHT OR CORNERS, WHICH CAN BE TERRIFYING--NOT TO MENTION POTENTIALLY FATAL. NOTE: DATE LISTED BELOW IS ONLY THE MOST RECENT--PROBLEM OCCURS ON ALMOST EVERY RIDE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10153851

Incident

Mar 16, 2006

Mileage

19,840 mi

MOTORCYCLE'S IDLE RPMS CHANGE ABRUPTLY, TO THE POINT OF STALLING WHEN AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS ABRUPT CHANGE WAS THE SOURCE OF A REAR END COLLISION. THE BIKE HAD BEEN TAKEN IN PREVIOUSLY TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS BUT NO CORRECTIVE MEASURES WHERE TAKEN, AS THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE REPRODUCED. THE SYMPTOMS CORRELATE WITH THOSE OF OTHER FZ6 USERS AND HAS BEEN LINKED TO A FAULTY TPS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10147316

Incident

Oct 9, 2005

Mileage

4,834 mi

BIKE IDLE DROPS (600-850 RPM) WHEN CLUTCH PULLED IN CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL AT RED LIGHTS, EXITING DRIVEWAYS ETC... POOR FUEL MILEAGE AND ROUGH IDLE. UPON CYCLING THE IGNITION KEY OFF AND ON, SYMPTOM WILL TEMPORARILY RECTIFY ITSELF ONLY TO RETURN LATER. I AM FEARFUL OF A REAR-END IMPACT FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE AT INTERSECTIONS AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THAT THE "THROTTLE SENSOR ASSY" PART NO. 5FL-85885-05-00 IS THE MAJOR CULPRIT PER OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCES WITH THIS VEHICLE AND SAME SYMPTOMS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10136569

Incident

Sep 8, 2005

Mileage

4,900 mi

'94 FZ6 - 5,000 MILES. THE BIKE HAD A HARD TIME STARTING. NOW IT CAN BE RUNNING AT A STEADY 3000-4500 RPM ON THE HIGHWAY AND START TO STUMBLE OR CUTOUT. I'VE HAD TO PULL OVER AND CUT IT OFF AND RESTART IT TO GET IT TO STOP. IT HAPPENS WHENEVER IT WANTS, NO WARNING OR REASON. IT STALLED ONCE WHILE I WAS ON THE WAY TO WORK AND I DROPPED THE BIKE BEFORE I COULD CATCH IT. I'VE HAD FRIENDS TELL ME THAT IT IS A TPS (THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR), BUT THE MOTORCYCLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO TAKE IN TO BE CHECKED. THAT WOULD BE ALMOST $100 AND THEY MAY NOT FIND IT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10135675

Incident

Sep 3, 2005

TROTTLE CHUNKY/DELAYED/ERRATIC, MAKING MOTORCYCLE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL IN CORNERS. STALLS AT STOPS, A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN CITY TRAFFIC. DOES NOT IDLE, I NEED TO KEEP THE THROTTLE SLIGHTLY ROLLED ON. RUNS ROUGH, SMELLS OF GAS, SEEMS TO MISS. PROBLEMS STARTED WITH THROTTLE DELAY AT 7000 MILES, STALLING STARTED AT 7400 MILES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10135318

Incident

Sep 4, 2005

Mileage

7,400 mi

RIDING HOME FROM WORK ON A 2004 YAMAHA FZ6, WITH JUST OVER 5K MILES ON IT. THE BIKE BEGAN TO SURGE BY ITSELF AND WOULD EITHER GO TO A FULL OPEN THROTTLE (WITHOUT ANY USER INPUT) OR WOULD HOLD A CONSTANT RPM (REGARDLESS OF USER INPUT). THE FIRST SURGE WAS VERY VIOLENT (WHEELIE STYLE THROTTLE INPUT) AND NEARLY KICKED ME OFF THE BACK. LOST GRIP WITH MY THROTTLE HAND, BUT WAS ABLE TO GRAB CLUTCH AND AVOID AN ACCIDENT. VERY INCONSISTENT THROTTLE RESPONSE THE REST OF THE RIDE HOME (~4 MILES). SOUND FROM EXHAUST HAD ALSO DIES DOWN AND WAS VERY QUIET. UPON ARRIVAL AT HOME, I PARKED THE BIKE AND FELT THE EXHAUST AND IDLE - EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. UPON THE SLIGHTEST THROTTLE INPUT ABOVE IDLE, THERE WOULD BE NO PRESSURE FROM THE TAIL PIPE AND THE AIR AROUND THE EXHAUST WOULD BECOME INSTANTLY SUPER HEATED. I HAD THE BIKE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP (DEL AMO MOTORSPORTS) TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND FOUND NO ERRORS. HOW CAN THERE BE NO ERRORS WHEN THE BIKE DROVE AROUND WITH A MIND OF ITS OWN? THE BIKE IS STILL AT THE DEALER, WILL UPDATE THE REPORT LATER. HAVE HAD ALL SERVICE CHECKS, BIKE HAS BEEN DOING FINE, EXCEPT FOR A ROUGH IDLE, DIAGNOSED AS A TPS PROBLEM BY TEXAS YAMAHA SOUTH OUTSIDE OF HOUSTON, TX. THIS WAS DONE AROUND THE 700 AND AGAIN AROUND THE 1200 MILE MARK. PROBLEM (ASSOCIATED WITH TPS, AS DIAG. BY TYS) STOPPED AROUND 1400 MILES THEN SHOWED UP AROUND 4700 AND HAS BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10134992

Incident

Aug 26, 2004

Mileage

5,615 mi

ENGINE RPM'S WOULD "STUMBLE" INCREASINGLY MORE FREQUENT, STALL AT IDLE. THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR DEFECTIVE AND NOT READILY IDENTIFIED AS DEFECTIVE BY AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP. POOR THROTTLE RESPONSE/STALLING LED TO POOR CONTROL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, EXITING RAMPS, HARD CORNERING WHERE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE THROTTLE RESPONSE WAS REQUIRED. TWO OF THESE UNITS HAVE FAILED ON MY MOTORCYCLE, A 2004 YAMAHA FZ6. *JB

NHTSA ID

10132668

Incident

Jul 19, 2004

Mileage

7,800 mi

I HAVE A 2004 YAMAHA FZ-6 AND I BELIEVE THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR IS BAD. THE BIKE STALLS AND RUNS VERY ERRATICALLY AT LOW RPMS. I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN THE KILL SWITCH AND KEY OFF TO RESET THE SYSTEM AND THEN IT STARTED AGAIN. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA THE BIKE COULD STALL AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM YET, I AM WAITING TO SEE IF THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS PART. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL MOTORCYCLE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10130716

Incident

Jul 31, 2005

Mileage

12,050 mi

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY YAMAHA FZ6. THE MANUAL ADVISES TO USE 87 OCTANE FUEL. I HAVE BEEN USING 87 UNTIL THE BIKE STARTED TO IDLE AT VERY VERY LOW INTERVALS. CAUSING LOSS OF POWER WHEN DRIVING, OR STOPPED. NORMAL IDLE IS 1320 RPM. IDLE WILL DROP BETWEEN 600-800 RPM WHEN STOPPED CAUSING THE BIKE TO DIE (EVERY TIME) OR WHILE DRIVING THE BIKE WILL IDLE FINE THEN THE RPM'S WILL DROP WAY DOWN , THEN BACK UP THEN DOWN THEN WAY BACK UP. I TOOK THE BIKE TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD ADJUST THE BIKES IDLE. THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR A MONTH AND THEN I BEGAN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE. IDLE DROPPING AFTER FILLING WITH 87 OCTANE. I DECIDED TO TRY OTHER FUELING STATIONS 87 OCTANE. STILL NO CHANGE. I DECIDED TO TRY 89 OCTANE. WITH 89 OCTANE, SMALL IMPROVEMENT, WITH THE SAME ISSUES. I THEN DECIDED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM CAUSING ME TO HAVE 4 CLOSE ACCIDENT ENCOUNTERS TO GO AHEAD AND TRY 92 (PREMIUM GRADE OCTANE). THIS SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM OF THE IDLE DROPPING WAY DOWN, HOWEVER, THE IDLE STAYS HIGHER NOW THAN THE NORMAL 1320 RPM. NOW AROUND THE 1400 RPM RANGE. THE BIKE STILL HAS A ISSUE WITH POWER CUTTING IN AND OUT WITH NO IDLE CHANGE. I'M REPORTING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE I HAVE HAD 4 ALMOST CRITICAL ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER VEHICLES BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF IDLE/POWER WHILE EITHER BEING STOPPED OR DRIVING. I DECIDED TO POST THIS PROBLEM UP ON WWW.SPORTBIKES.NET. I FOUND THAT 5 OTHER FZ6 RIDERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT THEY TOO HAD CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER VEHICLES. JUST FYI I MADE THE POST ON 07/29/05 AND ALREADY ON 07/30/05 THERE HAVE BEEN 5 OTHERS WITH THE SAME BIKE, HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A GREAT AMOUNT. SOME HAVE TRACKED THIS PROBLEM DOWN TO THE TPS - THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. THEY REPORTED AFTER HAVING THIS REPLACED THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM COMPLETELY. SENSE I HAD THIS PROBLEM WITHIN THE 6 MONTHS OF HAVING THE BIKE, AND DUE TO OTHERS HAVING THIS ISSUE, A RECALL ON THIS BIKE SHOULD BE ISSUED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10130660

Incident

Jul 30, 2005

Mileage

4,000 mi

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2004 AT APPROXIMATELY 5000 MILES, THE MOTORCYCLE BEGAN IDLING POORLY AND STALLING. HAD TO TURN OFF THE KEY AND THEN BACK ON BEFORE IT WOULD START AGAIN. YAMAHA REPLACED THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR AFTER BRINGING IT TO THEM TWICE WHICH CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ALMOST 13000 MILES ON IT NOW AND IT IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS DISTRACTING AND HINDERS MY ABILITY TO WATCH TRAFFIC AND FREQUENTLY STALLS AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS.

NHTSA ID

10129651

Incident

Jul 20, 2005

Mileage

5,000 mi

THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED REPEATEDLY IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ID

10127497

Incident

Jul 1, 2005

Mileage

5,000 mi

ENGINE HESITATION, MISSING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITH NO THROTTLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH YAMAHA AS TPS FAILURE ON THE FZ6.

NHTSA ID

10125081

Incident

Jun 12, 2005

Mileage

11,300 mi

I WAS RETURNING HOME TO PLANO, TX FROM A WEEKEND TRIP TO COLORADO. I WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY FROM HOME, WHEN I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE ENGINE HESITATION WHENEVER I RELEASED AND REAPPLIED THE THROTTLE. THE NEXT DAY, THE HESITATION WAS GONE, BUT I NOTICED THAT MY FUEL MILEAGE HAD GONE WAY DOWN (FORMERLY 42-45 MPG TO THE CURRENT 35 MPG). THE ENGINE IS ALSO RUNNING RICH, ENOUGH THAT I CAN SMELL UNBURNT FUEL IN THE EXHAUST. THE ENGINE ALSO HAS STARTED TO IDLE ERRATICALLY, FLUCTUATING IN RPMS.

NHTSA ID

10125026

Incident

Aug 24, 2004

Mileage

9,600 mi

THROTTLE "JUMPS" UNEXPECTEDLY DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS OF THE MOTORCYCLE. WHEN TRAVELING SPEED WILL DECREASE AND THE ENGINE WILL "SPUTTER", THEN THE ENGINE WILL JUMP BACK TO SPEED CAUSING A JOLT FORWARD. SYMPOTMS BEST DESCRIBED AND THE FUEL BEING CUT OFF THEN ON AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

10122558

Incident

Oct 28, 2004

Mileage

6,000 mi

2004 YAMAHA FZ6 13K+ MILES. DURING A SUSTAINED CRUISE, WITH A SUSTAINED RPM BETWEEN 4K AND 5K RPM, THE ENGINE BEGAN FALTERING/BOGGING DOWN AND RUNNING VERY ROUGH. ACCOMPANYING THIS ISSUE, THERE IS A MARKED SENSE OF DECELERATION UNLESS MORE THROTTLE IS APPLIED TO COMPENSATE FOR THE THE LOSS OF POWER; THE DECELERATION, AT TIMES, CAN BE QUITE SUDDEN. THIS PROBLEM TENDS TO OCCUR BEYOND 1/2 HOUR OF OPERATION. IF DOWNSHIFTING OR UPSHIFTING IS PERFORMED DURING THE ENGINE FALTERING, THE RESULT IS A STALLED OUT ENGINE UNLESS SHIFTING IS PERFORMED VERY QUICKLY. STALLING OUT WHILE DOWNSHIFTING FOR A FULL STOP AT AN INTERSECTION GETS DICEY GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF OIL/WATER USUALLY FOUND AT STOP LINES AND THEIR APPROACHES. TURNED BIKE INTO DEALERSHIP, REPORTING THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS ALONG WITH REPORTS OF THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR PROBLEMS REPORTED BY OTHER FZ6 RIDERS. DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND SIMPLY REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS. UPON RECEIVING THE BIKE BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE PROBLEM PROMPTLY RETURNED ABOUT 40 MINUTES INTO THE FIRST RIDE.

NHTSA ID

10120825

Incident

May 12, 2005

Mileage

13,799 mi

AT ABOUT 6200 MILES WHILE PULLING UP TO A LIGHT OF A STEADY RUN MY MOTORCYCLE WOULD DIE. RESTART IT, AND IT WOULD BE MISFIRE REAL BADLY AND DIE AGAIN. TAKE KEY OUT AND BACK IN IT WOULD FIRE UP JUST FINE, FOR THE TIME BEING. FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS ABOUT TO TAKE A TURN, HAD THE CLUTCH IN DOWN SHIFT, THEN BRAKED FOR AN ONCOMING CAR, AS I STARTED TO LEAN I WAS LETTING THE CLUTCH OUT, WHEN LOW AND BEHOLD THE ENGINE DIED. SO IT JUST LOCKED UP. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO GET THAT CLUTCH IN BEFORE IT WENT OVER. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY HAD IT A COUPLE DAYS AND SAID THERE WERE NO CODES, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE COMPLAINT. IT ACTED UP WHEN EVER IT FELT LIKE. SOMETIMES IT RAN FINE FOR WEEKS, THEN SOMETIMES IT MESSES UP A BUNCH IN 1 WEEK. I'VE RESEARCHED THIS TOPIC ONLINE, AND FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH SAME PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10118760

Incident

Mar 15, 2005

MY MOTORCYCLE WILL STALL AND/OR RUN ROUGH OCCASIONALLY, AND NOT IDLE WITHOUT ADDITIONAL THROTTLE INPUT. IF I TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTART THE MOTORCYCLE IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE WILL ENCOUNTER THIS PROBLEM WHILE TURNING AND CAUSING INSTABILITY THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A CRASH. IN ADDITION, I DO NOT LIKE HAVING THE THOUGHT OF THIS PROBLEM IN MY MIND EVERYTIME I AM RIDING, AS IT TAKES ENOUGH CONCENTRATION TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES AND MONITOR ROAD CONDITIONS. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE PROBLEM YET. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID

10118618

Incident

Mar 10, 2005

Mileage

7,200 mi

THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR ISSUE WELL DOCUMENTED ON HTTP://FORUMS.SPORTBIKES.NET/FORUMS...088#POST1774088 STALLING ON FREEWAY, COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT. HAS NOT BEEN FIXED BY YAMAHA.

NHTSA ID

10118605

Incident

Apr 17, 2005

Mileage

8,950 mi

1) AT APPROXIMATELY 8000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, MY YAMAHA FZ6 BEGAN EXHIBITING PERIODIC STALLING. WHEN UNDER NORMAL POWER, THE BIKE EXHIBITED A MODERATE LOSS OF POWER, WITH A COMPLETE ENGINE STALL ONCE THE CLUTCH WAS DISENGAGED (WHILE STOPPING IN TRAFFIC OR PARKING). THESE SYMPTOMS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY UNTIL IT WAS HAPPENING SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY. 2) THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FAILURE WERE GENERALLY MINIMAL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF STALLING IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, THE STALLING PREVENTED ME FROM MOVING WHEN TRAFFIC AHEAD OF ME BEGAN MOVING, PLACING ME IN A VULNERABLE POSITION UNTIL THE IGNITION WAS CYCLED AND THE BIKE STARTED AGAIN. SIMPLY PRESSING THE START BUTTON WOULD NOT SUCCESSFULLY RESTART THE BIKE. 3) THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED BY THE DEALER REPLACING THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS). I HAD READ SEVERAL REPORTS OF OTHER FZ6 OWNERS CORRECTING THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE TPS, AND HAD A TPS FAULT CODE LOGGED IN THE COMPUTER. THE DEALER HAD NOT HEARD OF ANY ISSUE FROM YAMAHA AT THAT POINT, AND ATTEMPTED TO CLEAN AND RESEAT THE CONNECTIONS TO THE TPS FIRST. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED UNTIL REPLACEMENT OF THE TPS. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10118576

Incident

Nov 4, 2004

Mileage

8,000 mi

IDLE SUDDENLY GETS ROUGH THEN ENGINE QUITS/STALLS AT RANDOM TIMES, MOST OFTEN AT LOW SPEED AFTER DOWNSHIFTING, BUT HAS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON PARKWAY IN TRAFFIC. I'M INVOLVED WITH AN ONLINE USERS GROUP OF FZ6 OWNERS (ABOUT 100-150 IN THE GROUP) AND ABOUT 20 - 25 PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO GET THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) REPLACED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. (WITHIN THE 1ST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP) I BELIEVE MY BIKE IS STARTING TO EXHIBIT SOME OF THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS THEY ALL HAD AND FEEL YAMAHA SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS FOR A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE DOES INDEED GET HURT OR KILLED IF THE BIKE STALLS OUT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY OR ANY OTHER ROAD.

NHTSA ID

10118434

Incident

Apr 24, 2005

Mileage

2,000 mi

1-AVERAGE USAGE, 2-MOTORCYCLES WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY, RPMS WOULD VARY CONSIDERABLY, A LOT OF HESITATION, VARIABLE IDLING, BAD GAS CONSUMPTION. A FAILURE OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO CEASE THROTTLE OPERATIONS THROUGH MID-CORNER DURING A TURN WOULD INEVITABLY CAUSE THE MOTORCYCLE AND ITS RIDER TO LOSE TRACTION AT THE REAR WHEELS. FURTHER CONSEQUENCES WOULD BE DEATH TO THE RIDER IN EXTREME, BUT HIGHLY LIKELY CIRCUMSTANCES. 3-THERE WAS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR WITH THE 2004-2005 YAMAHA FZ6 MOTORCYCLES. YAMAHA HAS SO FAR FAILED TO ANNOUNCE A RECALL OF THIS DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT WHICH CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. QUITE A FEW FZ6 OWNERS HAVE NOTICED THIS FAILURE SO IT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT A 'ONE IN A MILLION' CONDITION. PLEASE HELP THE FZ6 COMMUNITY OUT BY ALLEVIATING THIS WORRY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID

10118064

Incident

Apr 18, 2005

Mileage

8,700 mi