VehicleVerdict

2001 Yamaha Road Star transmission problems

The 2001 Yamaha Road Star has 49 transmission complaints filed with NHTSA — 82% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

49

Transmission complaints

82%

Share of year

3

Crash-involved

2

Related recalls

Transmission complaints by year

Road Star transmission complaints by model year100 complaints1999: 4 complaints2000: 7 complaints2001: 49 complaints2002: 82 complaints2003: 100 complaints2004: 4 complaints2007: 1 complaints2008: 1 complaints
Road Star transmission complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

06V397000TransmissionOctober 17, 2006 · 20,000 units

Defect

ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, CERTAIN TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS MAY NOT MEET YAMAHA QUALITY-CONTROL STANDARDS, WHICH COULD ALLOW ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINING CIRCLIP.

Consequence

IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH WITH INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE CERTAIN TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS WITH NEW ONES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 30, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YAMAHA OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.YAMAHA-MOTOR.COM.

03V309000TransmissionAugust 26, 2003 · 29,139 units

Defect

IN THE TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE SECOND/THIRD PINION GEAR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MACHINED WHICH COULD CAUSE ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINER CIRCLIP.

Consequence

IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy

YAMAHA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION GEARS AND SHAFTS WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YAMAHA OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.YAMAHA-MOTOR.COM.

What owners report

YAMAHA XV1600 MOTORCYCLE TRANSMISSION IS BREAKING AND LOCKING UP. THIS LOCKS THE REAR WHEEL AT SPEEDS OF 30 TO 50 MILES PER HOUR. WITH THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED THERE IS NO WAY TO CONTROL THE MOTORCYCLE AND IT GOES INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE SKID. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE MILEAGE DEPENDANT AND PRELIMINARY…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · June 24, 2003 · crash

Common questions

How many transmission complaints does the 2001 Yamaha Road Star have?

NHTSA has 49 complaints about the 2001 Yamaha Road Star transmission — 82% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2001 Yamaha Road Star transmission?

Yes — 2 NHTSA recall campaigns for this model year are tied to the transmission: 03V309000, 06V397000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.