NHTSA vehicle safety data

2002 Yamaha Road Star Recalls & Complaints

The 2002 Yamaha Road Star has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns and 87 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Yamaha dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

Pre-purchase inspection checklist → Reliability & 5-year cost forecast →

2002 Yamaha Road Star owner complaints

Owners have filed 87 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Yamaha Road Star, describing incidents dated May 14, 2002 to November 10, 2009.

Most-cited components

Power Train 82 complaints
Electrical System 1 complaint
Equipment 1 complaint
Fuel/Propulsion System 1 complaint
Service Brakes 1 complaint
Structure 1 complaint

Newest complaints

ODI #10292952 · Filed November 19, 2009
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 YAMAHA ROAD STAR. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT PINS THAT CONNECT THE FOURTH AND THE FIFTH GEAR HAD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS…
ODI #10279421 · Filed August 5, 2009
FREEWAY DRIVING AT 50 MPH, I HEARD A POP AND MY SPEEDOMETER QUIT. HEARD GRINDING IN THE DRIVE TRAIN. I PULLED OVER TO A STOP. UPON ROLLING MY BIKE ONTO A TRAILER THE REAR END LOCKED UP. THE MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT SNAPPED OFF AT REAR END WITH THE RETAINING NUT FLOATING LOOSE WITH THE FRONT U-JOINT IN THE…
ODI #10125689 · Filed June 17, 2005
DT: FUEL TANK VENT ROLLOVER VALVE IS PLUNGING UP, CAUSING VACUUM TO COLLAPSE FUEL TANK. IT IS ALSO SUCKING WATER INSIDE. REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT, MARKS ARE INCORRECT. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THREE YEARS. MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FUEL CAP. ALSO, SUCKING WATER INSIDE UP THE TUBE IN RAINING…

Read all 87 complaints

Owner-reported

2002 Yamaha Road Star mileage at failure

36 of the 87 complaints on file for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star give the vehicle's mileage when the problem happened.

Mileage at failure by component, from owners' complaints to NHTSA
Component	Median	Middle half	Based on
Power Train	Median 6,000 miles	Middle half 3,000–11,000 miles	Based on 33 complaints

A component's median is its 50th percentile, and its middle half runs from its 25th to its 75th percentile.

Owners give the mileage themselves, often as a round number, and NHTSA doesn't check it. A complaint that names several components counts under each one, and mileages that can't be right, such as 999,999, or 50 miles on a five-year-old car, are left out.

These figures describe the complaints owners filed. They don't predict when a particular vehicle will have a problem, and vehicles that never had one aren't counted.

Mileage from NHTSA's complaints file of October 31, 2026. How these figures are worked out

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002 Yamaha Road Star in 1 investigation. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

Preliminary Evaluation PE03-038: UNINTENDED REAR WHEEL LOCKUP
Closed November 6, 2003
- Recall 03V-309
- Recall 06V-397

Open and recently closed NHTSA defect investigations

ACCESSORY HANDLEBARS

NHTSA #10E041000 · Equipment · NHTSA notice

Reported August 23, 2010 · YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

Potentially affected: 300 vehicles

Owners notified August 31, 2010

Defect description

YAMAHA IS RECALLING CERTAIN ACCESSORY YAMAHA DOUBLE "T" FAT HANDLEBARS , PART NUMBERS STR-5PX75-12-00 AND STR-4WM75-12-00, MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 1, 2008 THROUGH JULY 31, 2009, TO BE USED ON MODEL YEAR 2002-2009 XV1700PC WARRIOR, 1999-2003 VX1600 AND 2004-2010 XV1700 ROAD STAR MOTORCYCLES. THESE HANDLEBARS MAY HAVE TUBING THINNER THAN DESIGNED WHERE THE BARS NARROW FOR THE SWITCH HOUSINGS AND GRIPS.

Safety consequence

THE AFFECTED HANDLEBARS COULD BE WEAK ENOUGH IN THE AREA TO BREAK. SHOULD THIS BREAKAGE OCCUR WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS BEING OPERATED, THE OPERATOR COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Manufacturer remedy

YAMAHA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED HANDLEBARS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 31, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-962-7926.

Notes

OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV>HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV</A> .

YAMAHA/MOTORCYCLES/REAR WHEEL LOCK UP

NHTSA #03V309000 · Power Train — Manual Transmission · NHTSA notice

Reported August 26, 2003 · YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

Potentially affected: 29,139 vehicles

Yamaha campaign M2004-001 · Owners notified September 2, 2003 · Vehicles built November 1, 2000 – December 31, 2003 (per NHTSA) · Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

Defect description

IN THE TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE SECOND/THIRD PINION GEAR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MACHINED WHICH COULD CAUSE ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINER CIRCLIP.

Safety consequence

IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Manufacturer remedy

YAMAHA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION GEARS AND SHAFTS WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YAMAHA OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.YAMAHA-MOTOR.COM.

Notes

ALSO, CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

87 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star.

Power Train

ODI #10292952

Incident: November 10, 2009 · Filed: November 19, 2009

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 YAMAHA ROAD STAR. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THAT PINS THAT CONNECT THE FOURTH AND THE FIFTH GEAR HAD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 67,000.

Power Train; Electrical System

ODI #10279421

Incident: July 28, 2009 · Filed: August 5, 2009

FREEWAY DRIVING AT 50 MPH, I HEARD A POP AND MY SPEEDOMETER QUIT. HEARD GRINDING IN THE DRIVE TRAIN. I PULLED OVER TO A STOP. UPON ROLLING MY BIKE ONTO A TRAILER THE REAR END LOCKED UP. THE MIDDLE GEAR SHAFT SNAPPED OFF AT REAR END WITH THE RETAINING NUT FLOATING LOOSE WITH THE FRONT U-JOINT IN THE HOUSING. AT LEAST 20 REPORTS OF THE SAME DEFECT CAN BE FOUND HTTP://FORUMS.DELPHIFORUMS.COM/YAMAHA1100/MESSAGES?MSG=42934.1 YAMAHA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOME GETS KILLED. *TR

Fuel System, Other

ODI #10125689

Incident: May 14, 2002 · Filed: June 17, 2005

DT: FUEL TANK VENT ROLLOVER VALVE IS PLUNGING UP, CAUSING VACUUM TO COLLAPSE FUEL TANK. IT IS ALSO SUCKING WATER INSIDE. REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT, MARKS ARE INCORRECT. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THREE YEARS. MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FUEL CAP. ALSO, SUCKING WATER INSIDE UP THE TUBE IN RAINING WEATHER. THE MODEL IS ROADSTAR.*AK

Power Train

ODI #10096728

Incident: January 12, 2004 · Filed: October 13, 2004

AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL LETTER THE DEALER WAS CALLED AND THE CONSUMER MADE AN APPOINTMENT. THE DEALER STATED THEY WOULD CALL THE CONSUMER BACK, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK. THEY CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY STATED MAYBE ANOTHER THIRTY DAYS. TRANSMISSION RECALL 03V309000. *JB

Power Train

ODI #10091863

Incident: September 10, 2004 · Filed: September 10, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE CONCERNING THE REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION. NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. SERVICE MANAGER MONICA. *AK

Power Train

ODI #10079323

Filed: June 10, 2004

2002 YAMAHA ROAD STAR 1/09/2004 SAFETY RECALL NOTICE.*MR THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING SINCE JANUARY TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK PERFORMED ON HIS MOTORCYCLE. THE DEALER EXPLAINED THAT TEH MANUFACTURER HAS NOT PROVIDED THE WITH THE PART TO DO THE RECALL. *NM

Power Train

ODI #10075668

Incident: June 3, 2004 · Filed: June 3, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE(VP02E00) FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION!!!!!!!!NO PARTS AVAILABLE PER SERVICE MANAGER VICTOR. *NM

Power Train

ODI #10075540

Incident: January 12, 2004 · Filed: July 19, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V309000 CONCERNING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER HAD THE RECALL NOTICE SINCE JANUARY, 2004 AND THE WORK HAD NOT BEEN DONE . DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT IT MAY TAKE ANOTHER SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD BE FIXED.*AK *NM

Power Train

ODI #10075514

Incident: June 1, 2004 · Filed: June 1, 2004

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. SERVICE MANAGER VICTOR . *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ODI #10075466

Incident: May 26, 2004 · Filed: June 1, 2004

FRONT/REAR BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY. CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE EVERY 4,000 MILE. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED THE PROBLEM ONCE, BUT THE CONSUMER IS STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *AK .. ..*AK

Other Yamaha Road Star model years

Check your 2002 Yamaha Road Star VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Yamaha Road Star at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a Yamaha VIN