2011 Zero S 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 2011 Zero S, 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
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Electrical133.3%
- Engine133.3%
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
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS MOTORCYCLE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS RIDING IT ON 1.28.14 - IT WAS TOWED TO THE SHOP AND MECHANIC & SHOP OWNER COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET BIKE RUNNING AND I PICKED IT UP. BIKE DIED AGAIN - SAME THING - SHUT OFF WHILE RIDING ON 3.25.14. THIS TIME BIKE WAS TAKEN TO SHOP AND THEY AGAIN SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING OR HOW TO FIX IT. AT THIS POINT I WANTED THEM TO BUY THE BIKE BACK FROM ME AS IT WAS DANGEROUS TO RIDE IF IT WAS SHUTTING DOWN WHILE I WAS RIDING IT. THE SHOP OWNER PUT ME IN CONTACT WITH ZERO - THE MANUFACTURER TO DISCUSS THIS POSSIBILITY. ZERO REFUSED TO TAKE MOTORCYCLE OFF ROAD AND CLAIMED THEY HAD NEVER HAD A COMPLAINT OF MOTORCYCLE POWERING DOWN WHILE RIDING. IT TURNS OUT THEY WEREN'T BEING HONEST -THE SAME MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE, YEAR 2012 MODEL HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM WHILE MY MODEL YEAR 2011 HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE MECHANIC AT MY DEALER TOLD ME THAT MANY PEOPLE HAD SAME COMPLAINT, ZERO WAS LYING AND THE ONLY GOOD PLACE FOR MY MOTO WAS THE GARBAGE. THEY TRIED TO FIX MY BIKE BUT IT STILL POWERS DOWN AFTER APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES AND LEAVES ME STRANDED (AVG ON THIS BIKE IS LISTED AT 43 MILES BEFORE NEEDING RECHARGE). THIS BIKE AND THE OTHER 2011 MODEL S NEED TO BE RECALLED COMPLETELY SINCE ZERO CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM ALL 2011 S MODEL RIDERS ARE ALL AT RISK. PLEASE REFERENCE THE RECALL OF 2012 MOTORCYCLE HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/UCM427143/RCAK-12V455-9849.PDF THANK YOU *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS MOTORCYCLE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS RIDING IT ON 1.28.14 - IT WAS TOWED TO THE SHOP AND MECHANIC & SHOP OWNER COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET BIKE RUNNING AND I PICKED IT UP. BIKE DIED AGAIN - SAME THING - SHUT OFF WHILE RIDING ON 3.25.14. THIS TIME BIKE WAS TAKEN TO SHOP AND THEY AGAIN SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING OR HOW TO FIX IT. AT THIS POINT I WANTED THEM TO BUY THE BIKE BACK FROM ME AS IT WAS DANGEROUS TO RIDE IF IT WAS SHUTTING DOWN WHILE I WAS RIDING IT. THE SHOP OWNER PUT ME IN CONTACT WITH ZERO - THE MANUFACTURER TO DISCUSS THIS POSSIBILITY. ZERO REFUSED TO TAKE MOTORCYCLE OFF ROAD AND CLAIMED THEY HAD NEVER HAD A COMPLAINT OF MOTORCYCLE POWERING DOWN WHILE RIDING. IT TURNS OUT THEY WEREN'T BEING HONEST -THE SAME MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE, YEAR 2012 MODEL HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM WHILE MY MODEL YEAR 2011 HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE MECHANIC AT MY DEALER TOLD ME THAT MANY PEOPLE HAD SAME COMPLAINT, ZERO WAS LYING AND THE ONLY GOOD PLACE FOR MY MOTO WAS THE GARBAGE. THEY TRIED TO FIX MY BIKE BUT IT STILL POWERS DOWN AFTER APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES AND LEAVES ME STRANDED (AVG ON THIS BIKE IS LISTED AT 43 MILES BEFORE NEEDING RECHARGE). THIS BIKE AND THE OTHER 2011 MODEL S NEED TO BE RECALLED COMPLETELY SINCE ZERO CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM ALL 2011 S MODEL RIDERS ARE ALL AT RISK. PLEASE REFERENCE THE RECALL OF 2012 MOTORCYCLE HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/UCM427143/RCAK-12V455-9849.PDF THANK YOU *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS MOTORCYCLE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS RIDING IT ON 1.28.14 - IT WAS TOWED TO THE SHOP AND MECHANIC & SHOP OWNER COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET BIKE RUNNING AND I PICKED IT UP. BIKE DIED AGAIN - SAME THING - SHUT OFF WHILE RIDING ON 3.25.14. THIS TIME BIKE WAS TAKEN TO SHOP AND THEY AGAIN SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING OR HOW TO FIX IT. AT THIS POINT I WANTED THEM TO BUY THE BIKE BACK FROM ME AS IT WAS DANGEROUS TO RIDE IF IT WAS SHUTTING DOWN WHILE I WAS RIDING IT. THE SHOP OWNER PUT ME IN CONTACT WITH ZERO - THE MANUFACTURER TO DISCUSS THIS POSSIBILITY. ZERO REFUSED TO TAKE MOTORCYCLE OFF ROAD AND CLAIMED THEY HAD NEVER HAD A COMPLAINT OF MOTORCYCLE POWERING DOWN WHILE RIDING. IT TURNS OUT THEY WEREN'T BEING HONEST -THE SAME MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE, YEAR 2012 MODEL HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM WHILE MY MODEL YEAR 2011 HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE MECHANIC AT MY DEALER TOLD ME THAT MANY PEOPLE HAD SAME COMPLAINT, ZERO WAS LYING AND THE ONLY GOOD PLACE FOR MY MOTO WAS THE GARBAGE. THEY TRIED TO FIX MY BIKE BUT IT STILL POWERS DOWN AFTER APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES AND LEAVES ME STRANDED (AVG ON THIS BIKE IS LISTED AT 43 MILES BEFORE NEEDING RECHARGE). THIS BIKE AND THE OTHER 2011 MODEL S NEED TO BE RECALLED COMPLETELY SINCE ZERO CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM ALL 2011 S MODEL RIDERS ARE ALL AT RISK. PLEASE REFERENCE THE RECALL OF 2012 MOTORCYCLE HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/ACMS/CS/JAXRS/DOWNLOAD/DOC/UCM427143/RCAK-12V455-9849.PDF THANK YOU *TR
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 .