What breaks most · 1999 to 2009 model years
Yamaha Road Star problems by year
Owners have filed 317 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Yamaha Road Star across model years 1999 to 2009. One year stands out: 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2005, 2006 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2003
- Fewest complaints: 2005, 2006, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 3171999 to 2009, all trims
- Worst year
- 2003105 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 71 fires · 27 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 6kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 12Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | 2 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 18 | 1 | 2 | Engine and cooling (7) | |
| 57 | 3 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (47) | |
| 87 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (82) | |
| 105 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (100) | |
| 21 | 2 | 1 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) |
What fails on the 2003 Yamaha Road Star
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 95% |
100 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 1% |
1 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
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.
-
NHTSA recall 03v309000 regarding transmission failure. After having recall repairs done, a week later, consumer heard a loud noise, and took it back to the dealer for inspection. *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 Yamaha Road Star years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003 carries the most filings on the Yamaha Road Star. The 2003 alone has 105 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Yamaha Road Star problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 100 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Yamaha Road Star problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Yamaha Road Star complaints that include mileage is about 6,000 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.