2004 Yamaha Yzf-R1 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 2004 Yamaha Yzf-R1, 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
- Electrical1947.5%
- Engine820.0%
- Fuel system615.0%
- Driver assistance410.0%
- Tires & wheels25.0%
- Body & structure12.5%
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
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
OCTOBER 2013 ROTOR EXPLODED AFTER 12000 MILES WHILE RIDING CAUSING BIKE TO LOOSE ALL POWER AND SHUTDOWN ONCE BATTERY WAS FULLY DRAINED. THINKING MAYBE THIS WAS JUST A ONE OFF ISSUE, I REPLACED THE ROTOR. AFTER APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 12000 MILES IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN, THIS TIME IT DESTROYED THE STATOR ALSO CAUSING ~$800 WORTH OF DAMAGE. WHEN TAKEN TO THE SHOP THEY HAD 3 OTHER R1'S WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AND WHEN ORDERING THE NEW PARTS THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY YAMAHA. THE SHOP CALLED YAMAHA AND THEY SAID THE PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY A NEW MODEL BUT THEY WONT RECALL THE OLD FAULTY ONES.
WAS RETURNING FROM A VACATION TRIP AND BIKE STARTED SOUNDING FUNNY. THEN ON HIGHWAY LIGHTS AND GAUGES STARTED GOING ON THE INTERSTATE BIKE STALLED LALMOST LOCKING UP BIKE IN CURVE WHILE RIDING ON WET ROAD. SEVERAL TRACTOR TRAILERS WERE BEHIND ME AND NEARLY ALMOST KILLED ME FROM THE SUDDEN CHANGE OF SPEED DUE TO BIKE KILLING POWER. MANAGED TO GET TO SIDE OF INTERSTATE. KILLED MY BATTERY TO NO RETURN 80+$. OPEN SEARCHING WEB AFTER GETTING HOPE LOOKED AT THE STATOR AND FLYWHEEL(ROTAR) MAGNETS ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! THIS ALMOST KILLED ME!!! NOT TO MENTION IT DESTROYED MY STATOR AND IT HARD TELLING WHERE ELSE THE MAGNETS WENT. YAMAHA HAS REVISED THIS PART AND KNOWS THE ISSUE BUT NO RECALL!!!!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED!!!!!!!
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WAS RETURNING FROM A VACATION TRIP AND BIKE STARTED SOUNDING FUNNY. THEN ON HIGHWAY LIGHTS AND GAUGES STARTED GOING ON THE INTERSTATE BIKE STALLED LALMOST LOCKING UP BIKE IN CURVE WHILE RIDING ON WET ROAD. SEVERAL TRACTOR TRAILERS WERE BEHIND ME AND NEARLY ALMOST KILLED ME FROM THE SUDDEN CHANGE OF SPEED DUE TO BIKE KILLING POWER. MANAGED TO GET TO SIDE OF INTERSTATE. KILLED MY BATTERY TO NO RETURN 80+$. OPEN SEARCHING WEB AFTER GETTING HOPE LOOKED AT THE STATOR AND FLYWHEEL(ROTAR) MAGNETS ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! THIS ALMOST KILLED ME!!! NOT TO MENTION IT DESTROYED MY STATOR AND IT HARD TELLING WHERE ELSE THE MAGNETS WENT. YAMAHA HAS REVISED THIS PART AND KNOWS THE ISSUE BUT NO RECALL!!!!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED!!!!!!!
MOTORCYCLE 2004 YAMAHA R1 THE MOTORCYCLE ENGINE CUTS OUT AND STARTS TO SURGE, AT IDLE THE RPMS DROP BY HALF AND USUALLY DIES TOTALLY. THIS HAPPENS ANYWHERE I STOP AND LET OFF THE GAS. I HAVE ALMOST WRECKED NUMEROUS TIMES BECAUSE OF THIS. IT STARTED ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO AT ABOUT 3000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. *JB
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
MY 2004 R1 CUTS OUT WHILE DRIVING AND DIES WHEN YOU PULL THE CLUTCH. I AM A TECH AT A AUTO DEALER AND IT FEELS LIKE THE THROTTLE POSITION LOSES SIGNAL. IF THE PROBLEMS PERSISTS AND THE BIKE DIES WITH THE CLUTCH OUT, THE REAR WHEEL WILL LOCK! THE DEALERS WILL NOT WARRANTY THIS PART. THIS IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM AND IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN. *NM
THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED WHEN COMING TO A STOP,MOTORCYCLE ALSO WOULD NOT START BACK UP UNTIL TURNING KEY OFF THEN BACK ON. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITENT AND HAS HAPPENED OVER 50 TIMES,THE BIKE SOMETIMES SURGES. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
LOW SPEED, LOW RPM POWER LOSS. TOTAL ENGINE POWER LOSS (ENGINE DIES). SUSPECTED TPS FAILURE. TOOK MOTORCYCLE TO DEALER SHIP FOR REPAIR. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. TOOK A SECOND TIME TO DEALER, DID NOT REPLACE TPS, SAID IT CHECKED OUT OK. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A 3RD GENERATION TPS THAT CAN BE USED. *TR
I WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 395 FROM THE WOODBRIDGE, VA. AREA DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC TIME IN THE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE EXIT THAT I NORMALLY TAKE FOR WORK MY R1 STARTED TO JERK OR IT SEEMED AS IT WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS, BUT AS I DOWNSHIFTED THE BIKE DROPPED IT'S RPM REALLY RAPIDLY AND THE BIKE SHUT COMPLETELY OFF, AT THIS TIME I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CLUTCH AND TRIED TO HIT THE IGNITION STARTER SWITCH WHICH SEEMED TO DO NOTHING. SO I THEN TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AND THEN BACK ON, HIT THE STARTER SWITCH AND THE BIKE STARTED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS DURING HIGH SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BIKE AT THIS POINT. I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE IT WAS OVERHEATING BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY HOT AND HUMID THAT MORNING. BUT IT DID THE SAME THING AS I GOT CLOSER TO MY WORK. ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK IT DID THE SAME THING SO AT THIS POINT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS REALLY WRONG. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY, BUT I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT MY BIKE CUTTING OFF AND SLOWING DOWN AND SOMEONE RUNNING INTO THE BACK OF ME BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO BEING THAT MY R1 WOULD JUST SHUT OFF SUDDENLY IF I DID NOT KEEP ON THE THROTTLE. DURING ALL OF THIS THE BIKE WOULD RIDE REALLY ROUGH AND SOUND LIKE A REMOTE CONTROL CAR, IN OTHER WORDS IT DIDN'T SOUND GOOD AT ALL. LUCKILY I MADE IT HOME SAFELY AND HAVE NOT RIDDEN THE BIKE SINCE THEN. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE READ SOME OF THE STORIES AND EVERYTHING I READ SOUNDS JUST LIKE MY PROBLEM SO IT MUST BE THE SAME AS WHAT WAS LISTED HERE ON THIS SITE. THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. *NM UPDATED 03/26/07*JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
LOW SPEED, LOW RPM POWER LOSS. TOTAL ENGINE POWER LOSS (ENGINE DIES). SUSPECTED TPS FAILURE. TOOK MOTORCYCLE TO DEALER SHIP FOR REPAIR. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. TOOK A SECOND TIME TO DEALER, DID NOT REPLACE TPS, SAID IT CHECKED OUT OK. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A 3RD GENERATION TPS THAT CAN BE USED. *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED YAMAHA'S NEW 125 VINO SCOOTER AND AFTER ONLY 400 MILES AT RATED SPEED OF 50 MPH (FASTER THAN MOST SCOOTERS), WITH NORMAL DRIVING, I WAS THROWN AND HIT THE PAVEMENT MAKING DOG MEAT OF MY BODY. I SUSPECT THE SMALL FRONT TIRE DESIGN AT HIGH SPEEDS IS A DEATH TRAP. CAN SUPPLY MORE DETAILS.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE KICKSTAND ON THE VEHICLE WAS TOO SHORT. THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE BENT THE KICKSTAND AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO FALL DAMAGING THE VEHICLE. THE SALES/ SERVICE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NOT THE MANUFACTURER.
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 .