NHTSA vehicle safety data

2009 Yamaha YZFR1 Recalls & Complaints

The 2009 Yamaha YZFR1 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 2 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 2009 Yamaha YZFR1. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

2009 Yamaha YZFR1 owner complaints

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Yamaha YZFR1, describing incidents dated April 28, 2010 to June 21, 2010.

Most-cited components

Engine 1 complaint
Exterior Lighting 1 complaint

Of the 2 complaints on file, 1 reports a fire (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #10349762 · Filed August 16, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 YAMAHA YZFR1 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD BECOME EXCESSIVELY HOT WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, IT WOULD FEEL AS IF HIS LEGS WERE BURNING. ON ONE OCCASION, A PASSENGER'S RUBBER SOLE MELTED FROM THE HEAT. THE MANUFACTURER…
ODI #10340384 · Filed June 28, 2010
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE HEADLIGHT. THE HEADLIGHT THEN BEGAN MELTING AND THE CONTACT VIDEO RECORDED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND WOULD NOT REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE…

Read all 2 complaints

Arcing may cause Headlight Failure

NHTSA #14V044000 · Exterior Lighting — Headlights · NHTSA notice

Reported February 10, 2014 · Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA

Potentially affected: 24,000 vehicles

Repair completion: 32.27% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Yamaha campaign 990084 · Owners notified March 10, 2014 · Vehicles built October 1, 2008 – August 30, 2013 (per NHTSA)

Defect description

Yamaha Motor Corporation USA (Yamaha) is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 YZFR1 motorcycles manufactured October 2008 through August 2013 and 2012-2013 XTZ12 motorcycles manufactured October 2011 through August 2013. In the affected motorcycles, use of the headlight may generate enough heat to cause the bulb connections to expand, resulting in arcing in the headlight bulb socket which could cause the socket to overheat, melt and cause the headlight to malfunction.

Safety consequence

A headlight failure reduces the rider's ability to see clearly and the motorcycle's visibility to oncoming traffic, increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

Yamaha will notify owners and dealers will replace the headlight socket, free of charge. The recall began on March 10, 2014. Owners may contact Yamaha at 1-800-962-7926.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2009 Yamaha YZFR1. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

2 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Yamaha YZFR1.

Engine and Engine Cooling

ODI #10349762

Incident: June 21, 2010 · Filed: August 16, 2010

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 YAMAHA YZFR1 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD BECOME EXCESSIVELY HOT WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, IT WOULD FEEL AS IF HIS LEGS WERE BURNING. ON ONE OCCASION, A PASSENGER'S RUBBER SOLE MELTED FROM THE HEAT. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NORMAL AND DID NOT PROVIDE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 270.

Exterior Lighting

ODI #10340384

Fire

Incident: April 28, 2010 · Filed: June 28, 2010

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE HEADLIGHT. THE HEADLIGHT THEN BEGAN MELTING AND THE CONTACT VIDEO RECORDED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND WOULD NOT REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 3,500.

Other Yamaha YZFR1 model years

Check your 2009 Yamaha YZFR1 VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Yamaha YZFR1 at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a Yamaha VIN