What breaks most · 2001 to 2015 model years
Honda GL1800A problems by year
Owners have filed 55 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda GL1800A across model years 2001 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2003 for body and structure complaints, 2001 for body and structure complaints and 2013 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2004 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2001, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2004, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 552001 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 200316 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 41 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 34kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 13Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 2 | 2 | Body and structure (4) | |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | Body and structure (3) | |
| 16 | 0 | 4 | Body and structure (10) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Suspension (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Engine (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 2003 Honda GL1800A
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 63% |
10 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
1 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Bought the bike july 9. Private party. I was going thru the bike checking everything out and found the frame is broke behind the passenger floorboards on both sides. I have done some research and this is very common.
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I discovered the frame on my 2001 HONDA gl1800a is cracked. Its location is the left lower tube that is below the battery box. This particular crack situation has been experienced by many cqnsumers.this crack was not described in the last HONDA motorcycle frame crack recall.
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Rear brake dragging. Rear disks heating up. Dragging brake led to tip over at slow speed. There is a recall on earlier year HONDA goldwings. This model 2013 is not included in the previous recalls.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda GL1800A years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2001, 2013 carry the most filings on the Honda GL1800A. The 2003 alone has 16 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Honda GL1800A problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda GL1800A problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda GL1800A complaints that include mileage is about 34,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.