DUCATI Complaints

1. MOTORCYCLE IS PARKED IN MY GARAGE WITH ABOUT 800 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND IN AS-NEW CONDITION. 2. FUEL BEGAN LEAKING FROM AROUND THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE AT THE BASE OF THE TANK. THIS DRIP IS NEXT TO AN EXHAUST HEADER PIPE ONTO THE REAR OF THE ENGINE BLOCK. UPON INVESTIGATION IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE PLASTIC TANK HAS DEFORMED (WARPED) AROUND THE FLANGE, OPENING A GAP FOR FUEL TO DRIP RAPIDLY FROM THE TANK. *TR

2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE FUEL TANK HAS EXPANDED AND WARPED RESULTING IN IT BECOMING LOOSE FROM THE FRAME. *TR

GAS TANK DEFORMATION ON 2007 DUCATI MONSTER S2R1000. GAS TANK HAS SWOLLEN TO THE POINT OF IMPINGING ON THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING A WEAR MARK ON THE TANK AT THE POINT OF CONTACT. ADDITIONALLY THE LATCH MECHANISM NOW IMPACTS THE IGNITION SWITCH HOUSING AS WELL. MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN IN WINTER STORAGE SINCE MID-NOVEMBER WHERE A FULL TANK OF E10 GASOLINE WAS PUT INTO THE TANK. OWNER FIRST NOTICED SIGNS OF EXPANSION WITHIN THE LAST WEEK WHILE PERFORMING BATTERY MAINTENANCE. NO WARRANTY OR OTHER CLAIM HAS BEEN INITIATED AS OF YET. *LN

FUEL TANK EXPANDS AND DEFORMS WITH THE PRESENCE OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THE EXPANSION CAUSES THE TANK UNSEAT FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKETS. THE RESULT IS THAT THE TANK MAY FALL OF THE BIKE. THE POSSIBILITY OF AN UNSAFE CONDITION AND CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE FUEL SYSTEM IS HIGH. STRAPS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON FUEL TANK IN ORDER TO KEEP THE TANK FROM FALLING OFF. *TR

GAS TANK IS DEFECTIVE AND ALREADY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS REPLACED WITH THE SAME EXACT TANK AND I EXPECT IT TO FAIL AND HOPEFULLY NOT WHILE I AM ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

THE PLASTIC GAS TANK ON MY 2007 DUCATI GT1000 MOTORCYCLE IS "SPREADING", MEANING THAT IT IS EXPANDING HORIZONTALLY, AND IS NO LONGER HELD IN PLACE WITH IT'S ORIGINAL 2 FRONT-END MOUNTS (THE REAR OF THE TANK IS MOUNTED AT A SINGLE POINT, AND IT NOT AN ISSUE). TWICE I HAVE REMOVED THE TANK, AND USING WASHERS AND LONGER BOLTS, MOVED THE MOUNTING BRACKETS OUT FROM THE FRAME IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE FUEL TANK. LAST YEAR, I INCREASED TO 5 WASHERS ON EACH SIDE, WHICH HAVE MOVED EACH BRACKET OUT ABOUT 1/4 INCH. HOWEVER, ON RECENT INSPECTION, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TANK IS FALLING OUT OF THE BRACKET AGAIN (SO TOTAL TANK EXPANSION IS NOW MINIMALLY 3/4 INCHES AT THE BASE). ** AT SOME POINT VERY SOON, THE FRONT OF MY GAS TANK WILL NO LONGER BE PHYSICALLY ATTACHED TO THE MOTORCYCLE ** IN DEC 2010, I INQUIRED TO A LOCAL DUCATI DEALER ABOUT A WARRANTY CLAIM, BUT HE EMAILED ME: "SORRY, WE CURRENTLY DO NOT PERFORM WARRANTY WORK FOR DUCATI. THEY OWE US WELL OVER $10,000 IN UNPAID WARRANTY CLAIMS. EVIDENTLY THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY US. UNTIL THEY MAKE GOOD ON THE UNPAID WORK, WE CANNOT ASSIST THEM FURTHER WITH THEIR EXTENSIVE WARRANTY PROBLEMS. WE HAVE SUFFERED A HUGE FINANCIAL LOSS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM." (6 MONTHS EARLIER, I HAD CALLED MY OTHER LOCAL DUCATI DEALER. AFTER PROVIDING MY VIN, HE APPARENTLY CHECKED SOME LIST AND TOLD ME THAT THE VIN NUMBER RANGE FOR DEFECTIVE TANKS DID NOT INCLUDE MY NUMBER; THAT MY TANK IS GOOD. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT TRUE). THIS IS AN EVOLVING ISSUE, SO THE INCIDENT DATE USED WITH THIS SUBMISSION REFLECTS THE DATE OF THE DEALER EMAIL EXCHANGE. IN THEORY, THIS LIKELY STARTED AT THE DATE OF MFG OF THE TANK. *LN

JUST BOUGHT A NEW DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC 1000 MOTORCYCLE FROM DEALER AND THE GAS TANK HAS SPREAD AND IS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO BIKE AND THE PLASTIC TANK IS RUBBING ON THE FRAME. *TR

2004 DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1000DS GAS TANK DEFORMS DUE TO ETHANOL FUEL. THE GAS TANK IS MADE OF A COMPOSITE PLASTIC MATERIAL. DEFORMATION CAUSES LEAKS AND/OR FAILURE OF ABILITY TO INSTALL OR REMOVE THE TANK FROM THE FRAME OF THE BIKE. DUCATI REPLACED THE TANK WITH ONE OF THE SAME MATERIAL THAT WILL DEFORM AGAIN. *TR

EXPANDING AND DEFORMING PLASTIC TANK. DUCATI USA REPLACED WITH THE SAME KIND OF TANK. *TR

THE FUEL TANK ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS DEFORMING DUE TO THE ETHANOL THAT IS PUT IN GASOLINE. IT HAS DEFORMED TO THE POINT THAT IT DOES NOT SIT IN IT'S MOUNTS PROPERLY AND HAS BECOME LOOSE. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO REPLACE THE TANK, THEY HAVE INSTEAD MODIFIED THE MOUNTS TWICE. THE TANK CONTINUES TO DEFORM AND KEEPS COMING LOOSE. DUCATI NEEDS TO MANUFACTURE A TANK THAT IS NOT AFFECTED BY ETHANOL AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TANK WITH THE NEW STYLE. *TR