2003 Yamaha Road Star Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2003 Yamaha Road Star, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Transmission10095.2%
- Suspension21.9%
- Airbags11.0%
- Brakes11.0%
- Fuel system11.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE RIDING M Y 2003 YAMAHA ROADSTAR I HAD PROBLEMS GETTING IT TO SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR. I CHECKED THE INTERNET FOR ANY RECALLS ON THE BIKE. WHEN I FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECALL I TOOK THE BIKE TO MY LOCAL DEALER, THE RAN THE VIN# AND SAID THAT IT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. THE RECALL STATES THAT AFTER THE MODIFICATIONS ARE COMPLETE STAMP A "*" ABOVE THE A ON THE VIN#. MY BIKE DOES NOT HAVE THE STAMP, THE DEALER SAID THAT DON'T MATTER BECAUSE HE KNOWS IT WAS DONE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE RIDING THE BIKE SINCE THE RECALL STATES DO NOT RIDE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH WILL RESULT. IF THE BIKE SHIFTED PROPERLY I WOULD FEEL MORE CONFIDENT THAT THE WORK WAS COMPLETED. *JB
NHTSA RECALL 03V309000 REGARDING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AFTER HAVING RECALL REPAIRS DONE, A WEEK LATER, CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE, AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 YAMAHA ROADSTAR. HE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RAISE THE VEHICLE USING THE JACK. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT THE SHOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY MOUNT HAD FRACTURED. HE CALLED SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FAILURE WAS NEVER REPORTED. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 29,500.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 YAMAHA ROAD STAR. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE REAR TIRE STRUCK THE TOP OF THE REAR FENDER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE REAR SHOCK MOUNT CAUSED THE FAILURE; AS OF NOVEMBER 19, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 59,000. UPDATED 12/04/07
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH BOTH FRONTAL DOOR AIR BAGS WENT OFF INADVERTENTLY. DRIVER WAS NOT HURT, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THIS WAS AN INSURANCE CLAIM ISSUE. AT THIS TIME DEALERSHIP COULD NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH MOTORCYCLE'S FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS FELL OFF. AS A RESULT, DRIVER LOSTS ALL BRAKING ABILITY. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
CARBURETOR ON 2003 YAMAHA ROADSTAR (XV1600) WILL SPIT GAS OUT ON HOT CYLINDER HEADS AND CRANKCASE UNPREDICTABLY. HAPPENS WHEN RESTARTING ENGINE AFTER ENGINE HAS BEEN STOPPED FOR A SHORT PERIOD AFTER COMING IN FROM A RIDE. RIDE CAN BE SHORT OR LONG; UNPREDICTABLE. WAS CHECKED BY DEALER DURING FIRST FEW MONTHS WHEN NEW AND CARB NEEDLE WAS REPLACED. PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED AND OCCURS EVERY FEW MONTHS THEREAFTER AND IS ONLY RESOLVED BY TURNING OFF FUEL VALVE BEFORE STOPPING SO CARB EMPTIES. NUMEROUS OTHER RIDERS HAVE SEEN SAME PROBLEM. LAST EVENT FOR ME SHOWN BELOW IN INCIDENT DATE. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .