What breaks most · 1990 to 2003 model years
Honda Honda Motorcycle problems by year
Owners have filed 63 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Honda Motorcycle across model years 1990 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2003 for engine and cooling complaints, 2002 for engine and cooling complaints and 1998 for visibility complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1990 and 1995.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2002, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1990, 1995
- Complaints on file
- 631990 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200328 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 61 fires · 7 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 9kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 28 | 3 | 0 | Engine and cooling (9) |
What fails on the 2003 Honda Honda Motorcycle
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 32% |
9 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
4 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
3 | 1 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
2 | 1 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure 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.
-
While driving 35 mph vehicle stalled. Consumer managed to pull over and restarted the vehicle. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
-
2003 HONDA vfr interceptor (motorcycle) caught on fire approximately 4-5 miles into ride. The fire was on the right side only, at the muffler and rear plastic cowling. Approximately 1-1.5 miles prior to the fire, the engine was running "rough" or "bogged down" with reduced power.*ak
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While traveling the left mirror flew off the superhot model motorcycle, causing a hazard to other motorists. Consumer has yet to contact the dealer. Please provide any further details. *ak
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 Honda Motorcycle years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2002, 1998 carry the most filings on the Honda Honda Motorcycle. The 2003 alone has 28 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Honda Honda Motorcycle problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda Honda Motorcycle problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda Honda Motorcycle complaints that include mileage is about 9,000 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.