RoadVitals

2015 Yamaha Yzf-R1

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “do not drive” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 15V802000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Dec 1, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Nov 30, 2015
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Yamaha Yzf-R1, most frequently naming the powertrain (other), engine and brakes categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
15V802000NHTSA advisory: do not drive

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Nov 30, 2015
2,921 units potentially affected
The defect: Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (Yamaha) is recalling certain model year 2015 YZFR1, YZFR1C, YZFR1MF and YZFR1MFC motorcycles manufactured August 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015. The affected motorcycles have transmission gears that may fail.
The risk: If the gears fail, the transmission may lock up, resulting in a loss of vehicle control, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Yamaha has notified owners, and dealers will replace the transmission assembly with an improved one, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2015. Owners may contact Yamaha customer service at 1-800-962-7926. Yamaha's number for this recall is 99100.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USAManufacturer number 99100View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 11
Engine
Filed Dec 1, 2018

THE MOTORCYCLE IT'S BROKEN ENGINE ONLY 5000 MILES I PAY 17 THOUSAND HELP ME PLEASE

NHTSA ID
11155291
Incident
Oct 3, 2016
Mileage
5,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Apr 17, 2016

I HAD THE TRANSMISSION RECALL DONE 12/23/2015 AT DON AND ROYS MOTORSPORTS IN BROOKFIELD WISCONSIN AND I WAS ABLE TO RIDE IT, DUE TO WEATHER, 04/17/2016. DURING THE RIDE THE BIKE HAD A SQUEAL OR HUMMING SOUND WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING OR MAINTAINING SPEED BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH IN ANY GEAR. WHEN I DECELERATED WITHIN THAT RANGE THE SQUEAL STOPS. I AM NOT HAPPY AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE RIDING THIS BIKE. RE-REBUILDING THE ENGINE IS NOT GOING TO BRING BACK ANY TRUST I ONCE HAD RIDING THIS BIKE. I EXPECT A FULL REFUND OR FULL CREDIT TOWARDS ANOTHER BIKE. IF THINGS AREN'T MADE RIGHT... I WILL DEFINITELY KEEP THIS EXPERIENCE IN MIND ON MY NEXT MOTORCYCLE PURCHASE.

NHTSA ID
10859975
Incident
Apr 17, 2016
Mileage
3,400 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 13, 2016

RECALL CAMPAIGN 15V802. OIL WAS LEAKING ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTORCYCLE (REAR TIRE+EXHAUST+ALL THE PLASTIC COVERS+ RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTOR). *TR

NHTSA ID
10825947
Incident
Feb 4, 2016
Mileage
906 mi
BrakesEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 2, 2016

THIS IS MY SECOND 2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE FIRST ONE WAS NEVER REGISTERED, BUT WAS DEFECTIVE ON THE DEALER'S SHOWROOM FLOOR. THIS SECOND MOTORCYCLE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE FIRST. NOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED THIS RECALL, I WAS TOLD THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY TIME AND THAT IT WAS TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR IMMEDIATE REPAIR. UPON CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT PAY TO HAVE THE MOTORCYCLE PICKED UP NOR WOULD THEY REFUND MY MONEY OR ALLOW A FULL CREDIT TRADE TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE. A LETTER TO YAMAHA CORPORATE OFFICE, DATED DECEMBER 4, 2015 YIELDED A RESPONSE ON JANUARY 15, 2016 THAT SAID YAMAHA IS PROUD OF IT HERITAGE AND QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP. MY MOTORCYCLE HAS ONLY 56 MILES ON IT. I WANT A FULL REFUND, A NEW MOTORCYCLE, OR FULL VALUE TOWARDS ANOTHER. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID
10823879
Incident
Dec 4, 2015
Mileage
56 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 19, 2016

2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO NOT ENOUGH HAS BEEN DONE TO REMEDY THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT RECALL NOTICE PROBLEMS. *SMD

NHTSA ID
10838270
Incident
Jan 1, 2016
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 18, 2015

MY NEW VEHICLE PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER, 2015, HAS A DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSION THAT MAY CAUSE IT TO LOCK UP AT SPEED. THE MANUFACTURER'S FIX IS TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER FOR A COMPLETE ENGINE TEARDOWN ALTHOUGH TECHNICIANS ARE NOT TRAINED TO PERFORM THIS TYPE OF PROCESS. THE ESTIMATED TIME TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH A DEALER DUE TO YAMAHA CORP. NOT RELEASING PARTS IS TWO MONTHS. WHEN I CALLED YAMAHA TO ASK THEM TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK SO THAT MAY PURCHASE A TROUBLE-FREE VEHICLE WAS, "THIS IS YOUR VEHICLE, YOUR PROBLEM. GET IT TO THE DEALER AT YOUR CONVENIENCE AND NO OTHER SOLUTION CAN BE OFFERED. CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT WAS VERY UNSYMPATHETIC TO MY ISSUE AND SAID, " YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE ASKING FOR AN EXCHANGE BUT CAN'T BE DONE...PERIOD" I TOLD HIM, I AM NOT ASKING FOR A HAND OUT, ONLY WANT MY MONIES WORTH AND A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT COMPROMISED BY MECHANICAL ISSUES AND A MECHANICAL FIX THAT MAY PRODUCE ONGOING ISSUES IN THE FUTURE AS THIS PROCEDURE IS A MAJOR FIX THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE OTHER PROBLEMS AFTER THE INITIAL QUICK FIX. I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LACK OF CONCERN FOR MY TIME AND MONEY. THIS IS THE REASON WHY I BOUGHT A NEW UNIT AND NOT A USED ONE, TO AVOID ANY ISSUES BUT HERE I AM DOING SO AFTER SPENDING 18K FOR A NEW VEHICLE. I NEED HELP AS I CANNOT AFFORD TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE'S SCHEDULE ALLOW TIME TO HELP ME. I WANT MY MONIES WORTH OR HAVE YAMAHA TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK SO I CAN PURCHASE A MORE RELIABLE ONE. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID
10811092
Incident
Dec 4, 2015
Mileage
1,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 14, 2015

AFTER HEARING RUMORS ABOUT A TRANSMISSION RECALL ON THE 2015 YAMAHA R1 MOTORCYCLES, I RECEIVED MY RECALL LETTER IN THE MAIL. YAMAHA STATES THAT 2ND, 3RD AND 4TH TRANSMISSION GEARS WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO DEFORMATION/BREAKAGE. I JUST RECENTLY PURCHASED THE BIKE (LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AGO) AND I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH A BRAND NEW $16,000 MOTORCYCLE WITH 230 MILES ON IT BEING TORN APART AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THESE ENGINES ARE BUILT IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WITH CALIBRATED TOOLS, THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE DURING A REBUILD FROM A LOCAL SHOP. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO TO THE RESALE VALUE OF THE BIKE. IN THE MEAN TIME I AM MAKING PAYMENTS ON A BIKE THAT I CANNOT RIDE.

NHTSA ID
10810092
Incident
Dec 14, 2015
Mileage
230 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Dec 8, 2015

INTERNAL YAMAHA DOCUMENTS HAVE SURFACED WHICH DETAIL A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN ALL 2015 R1'S, RESULTING IN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE 2ND GEAR, AND DEFORMATION/BREAKAGE OF THE 3D AND 4TH GEARS. THE FAILURE MODE CAUSES THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP WITHOUT WARNING.THEY STATE THAT RIDERS SHOULD CEASE RIDING IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED IN ANY MANNER.. YAMAHA HAS STATED THAT NO WARRANTY EXTENSION WILL BE GRANTED. THE 2015 R1 IS A HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLE WITH 200HP AT THE CRANKSHAFT, AND APPROXIMATELY 185HP TRANSFERRED TO THE REAR WHEEL. THE ENGINE HAS A 14,000 RPM REDLINE. IT IS CAPABLE OF REACHING 200 MPH IN STOCK FORM. I NOT ONLY COMMUTE DAILY ON MY R1 , BUT ALSO PARTICIPATE IN TRACK DAY EVENTS. MY R1 WILL ROUTINELY ENDURE SPEEDS WELL UPWARDS OF 150+MPH, AND WILL SPEND SIGNIFICANT TIME AT REDLINE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT MY 6 MONTH OLD, $16,500 MOTORCYCLE, WHICH WAS BUILT IN A CLEAN ROOM BY FACTORY CALIBRATED TORQUE MACHINES AND FACTORY TRAINED TECHNICIANS, WILL BE OPENED UP BY LOCAL DEALERSHIP MECHANICS WHO LACK THE SAME RESOURCES. AN EXTENSIVE AND INTRUSIVE REPAIR SUCH AS THIS GREATLY DIMINISHES THE SAFETY AND VALUE OF THE MOTORCYCLE, I BELIEVE THAT YAMAHA SHOULD REPLACE THE AFFECTED ENGINES WITH NEW FACTORY ASSEMBLED, FACTORY SEALED UNITS.YAMAHA IS OFFERING NO RECOURSE BEYOND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, NO OTHER FORM OF COMPENSATION. I BELIEVE THAT THE R1 RECALL SHOULD BE HANDLED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE APRILIA RSV4 RECALL ,OR THE BMW R1200. THE INTERNAL DOCUMENTS SURFACED ON THE 21ST OF NOVEMBER, AND DEALERSHIPS ARE INFORMING OWNERS WHO INQUIRE THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WILL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL SOMETIME IN JANUARY. I BELIEVE THAT YAMAHA IS INTENTIONALLY STALLING IN ORDER TO AVOID LEMON LAW STATUTES, AND WILLFULLY PUTTING R1 OWNERS AT RISK OF SEVERE BODILY INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE AS A CALCULATED FINANCIAL DECISION.

NHTSA ID
10809129
Incident
Dec 2, 2015

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

M2023-002

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The 2015 ~ 2021 YZF-R1 and YZF-R1M Oil Strainer Cover has been changed due to procurement reasons. The magnesium Oil Strainer Cover is no longer manufactured and has been superseded to the current aluminum Oil Strainer Cover. As a result, when replacing the magnesium Oil Strainer Cover with the aluminum Oil Strainer Cover, the relating parts and service procedures will change. If the magnesium Oil Strainer Cover is ordered, it will automatically supersede to a kit part number once the current stock has been depleted. The superseded kit parts will include the new service procedures as well as all related parts.

M2015-013R

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Yamaha Yzf-R1 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2021000—
2020100—
2019000—
2018000—
2017000—
2016000—
2015Viewing111032.7
2013110—
2012010—
2011210—
2010010—
2009210—
2008310—
2007901037.3
2006102045.0
2005941—
2004373156.8
2003220—
2002120—
2001120—
2000020—
1999220—
1998320—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.