Reliability & cost of ownership
Yamaha Road Star Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Yamaha Road Star? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Yamaha Road Star problems by model year
12 recall entries across 6 model years and 317 owner complaints across 11 model years on file, sourced from the federal NHTSA database. We couldn't confirm the NHTSA recall list for the remaining 5 model years — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Road Star | Not confirmed | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2008 Road Star | Not confirmed | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2007 Road Star | Not confirmed | 7 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2006 Road Star | Not confirmed | 3 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2005 Road Star | Not confirmed | 2 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2004 Road Star | 1 | 21 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2003 Road Star | 2 | 105 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2002 Road Star | 2 | 87 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2001 Road Star | 3 | 57 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2000 Road Star | 2 | 18 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1999 Road Star | 2 | 15 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Yamaha Road Star, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- power train246 complaints
- engine and engine cooling27 complaints
- fuel system, gasoline12 complaints
- structure10 complaints
- suspension8 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system4 complaints
- wheels3 complaints
- engine2 complaints