2003 Yamaha Midnight Star

I AM WRITING IN REGARD TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE THAT I EXPERIENCED ON SATURDAY, THE 25TH OF AUGUST, 2007 ON MY 2003 MIDNIGHT ROADSTAR. FIFTH GEAR WAS LOST WHILE I WAS LEADING A GROUP OF MOTORCYCLES ON THE INTERSTATE. AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE, I HEARD A LOUD METALLIC CLICK, AND THOUGHT OF A BREAKAGE OF THE CIRCLIP. THIS FAILURE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO RESULT IN THE IMMEDIATE LOCKUP OF THE TRANSMISSION, AND RESULTANT LOCKUP OF THE REAR WHEEL. THIS EVENT COULD HAVE LED TO A CATASTROPHIC CRASH BECAUSE IT OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH A GROUP OF MOTORCYCLES IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME. IN FIFTH GEAR, NO POWER AT ALL IS PROVIDED TO THE DRIVE BELT. GEARS 1-4 AND NEUTRAL CONTINUED TO OPERATE NORMALLY DURING THIS PERIOD. A LOCAL YAMAHA DEALER (CYCLE SPORT OF ALEXANDRIA, VA) HAS WORKED ON THE TRANSMISSION ON TWO PREVIOUS OCCASIONS; ONCE TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH IN NOVEMBER 2003, AND ONCE TO ACCOMPLISH THE TRANSMISSION RECALL INVOLVING THE REPLACEMENT OF A CIRCLIP THAT, UPON FAILURE, COULD RESULT IN IMMEDIATE LOCKUP OF THE TRANSMISSION, LEADING TO POTENTIAL IMMEDIATE LOCKUP OF THE REAR WHEEL. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE DEALERS RECOMMENDATION REGARDING THE ENGINE OIL (WHICH IS SHARED BY THE TRANSMISSION) SINCE DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS NEW. MY BELIEF IS THAT IT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT RELIABLE TRANSMISSION SERVICE BEYOND 28,000 MILES. MY CONCERNS INCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE RECALL WAS NOT PERFORMED PROPERLY, OR AT ALL, OR THAT THE DEALER?S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE OIL USED IN THE BIKE MAY HAVE BEEN ERRONEOUS. I HAVE COMMUNICATED THIS INFORMATION TO YAMAHA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED A RESPONSE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS FAILURE COULD ALSO HAPPEN TO OTHERS, WITH POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. *TR UPDATED 03/13/08. *LJ

NHTSA ID

10201991

Incident

Aug 25, 2007

Mileage

28,378 mi

WHEN STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE THE ENGINE COUGHED (BACKFIRED THROUGH THE CARBURETOR). SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL BECAUSE THE STARTER WOULD NO LONGER ENGAGE. THIS LEFT ME STRANDED AND WAS FORCE TO FIND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION HOME IN ORDER TO PICK UP MY TRUCK & TRAILER TO GO BACK AND PICK UP THE MOTORCYCLE. SERVICE MANAGER AT THE YAMAHA DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY SEE THIS PROBLEM QUITE OFTEN. THE REPAIR CONSISTS OF APPLYING LOCKTITE TO A STARTER BOLT AND RE-TORQUEING THE BOLT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10155039

Incident

Apr 1, 2006

Mileage

4,665 mi

DT: 2003 , YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE'S FRAME RUSTED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THERE WAS A BRACKET WELDED TO THE FRAME THAT CRACKED. A CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALED ALL 4 SIDES OF THE BRACKETS WERE CRACKED. . CONSUMER CAUGHT THIS IN TIME, AND THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS OR FAILURES. BUT CONSUMER FELT IF THIS HAD BROKEN COMPLETELY THE WHOLE SUSPENSION WOULD HAVE DROPPED FROM THE MOTORCYCLE. TOOK VEHICLE TO A DEALER, WHO SAID THEY COULD WELD THIS FRAME OR BUY A NEW FRAME. CONSUMER OPTED TO BUY THE NEW FRAME BECAUSE HE FELT THIS WAS THE SAFEST OPTION. CONSUMER TOOK MOTORCYCLE FROM DEALER TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, WHO WAS MORE TRUSTED BY CONSUMER, HAD DISCUSSED REINFORCING THE BRACKET IF THIS WOULD BE WEAK. THE NEW FRAME WAS DOUBLE WALLED IN COMPARISON TO THE OLD FRAME WHICH WAS SINGLE WALLED. AT THIS TIME MOTORCYCLE WAS BEING REPAIRED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10130485

Incident

Jul 6, 2005

Mileage

23,000 mi

THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ON JANUARY 2004 IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA RECALL 03V309000/ REAR WHEEL LOCK UP. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER TWO MONTHS FOR THE PARTS TO BE AVAILABLE. *NM IT WAS UNKNOWN AS TO WHEN THE PARTS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID

10065522

RECALL NOTICE 03V309000 YAMAHA RECALL OF DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION PARTS THAT MAY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH: I RECEIVED THE NOTICE ON JANUARY 10, 2004 AND CONTACTED THE DEALER TO SCHEDULE THE REQUIRED REPAIR. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE REPAIR KITS ARE TO BE PROVIDED BY YAMAHA AND THEY WOULD CALL ME TO SCHEDULE THE REPAIR. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THE STATED THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED ONLY A FEW KITS AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHEN OR IF THEY WILL BE RECEIVING ANY ADDITIONAL REPAIR KITS. AS A RESULT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOW RIDING THE DEFECTIVE MOTORCYCLES AND ARE IN DANGER OF INJURY OR DEATH. SOME OF US USE OUR MOTORCYCLES AS DAILY TRANSPORTATION; BECAUSE YAMAHA REFUSES TO PROVIDE THE KITS IN A TIMELY MANNER, THEY ARE PUTTING THE PUBLIC AT RISK.*AK

NHTSA ID

10066293

Incident

Jan 9, 2004

THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNAWARE AS TO HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE BEFORE THEY RECEIVED PARTS TO PERFORM TRANSMISSION RECALL. *PH THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THE RECALL TO BE PERFORMED IN A TIMELY MANNER OR YAMAHA SHOULD BUY THE VEHICLE BACK. *SC RECALL #03V309000. *JB

NHTSA ID

10067444

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V309000 CONCERNING MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE ON 1/30/2004. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS, AND HAD NO INFORMATION ON WHEN THE PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. DEALER HAD A WAITING LIST WITH ABOUT THIRTY CONSUMERS. ALSO, THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PARTS HAVE NOT ARRIVED FROM JAPAN. *AK *JB

NHTSA ID

10057657

Incident

Jan 30, 2004

I BOUGHT A NEW 2003 YAMAHA ROAD STAR MOTORCYCLE FROM HATTIESBURG CYCLES IN HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI ON 3 JANUARY 2004. I WAS NOTIFIED 13 JANUARY 2004 OF A RECALL INVOLVING EXTENSIVE REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION AND TOLD NOT TO OPERATE THE MOTORCYCLE UNTIL THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY A FAILURE IN WHICH THE REAR WHEEL COULD LOCK-UP CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. SINCE BEING NOTIFIED (6 WEEKS NOW) MY MOTORCYCLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE DEALER OR YAMAHA CUSTOMER SERVICE IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ME WITH AN ESTIMATED DATE WHEN THE REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED. I FELL THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE I'M AM STILL MAKING $400 PAYMENTS EACH MONTH FOR A MOTORCYCLE WHICH I AM UNABLE TO OPERATE. WITH MY WIFE AND I BOTH WORKING THIS IS ONE OF MY PRIMARY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. I WANT EITHER A FIRM DELIVERY DATE FOR THE REQUIRED PARTS AND REPAIR DATE OR FULL RE-IMBURSEMENTS OF MY PURCHASE PRICE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10058961

Incident

Jan 13, 2004