DUCATI Complaints

I HAVE A 2007 DUCATI 1098 AND READ THIS INFORMATION TODAY 8/16/2010 ON NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE AND WANTED TO KNOW IF MY BIKE WAS AFFECTED BY THESE RECALLS AND IS MY LIFE IN DANGER? MY VIN NO. IS [XXX]. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP THAT HAS SERVICED THE BIKE SINCE I PURCHASED IT NEW AND TO DUCATI USA ABOUT STALLING ISSUE AND THEY ACT LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY BIKE AND I AM IMAGING THERE BEING A PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

FUEL TANK IS PLASTIC AND APPEARS TO HAVE A REACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT THAT IS CAUSING THE MATERIAL TO SWELL IN ALL DIMENSIONS. THIS CAUSES THE TANK MOUNTING TO BECOME HIGHLY STRESSED, UNSEATED AND UNSTABLE. THE TANK IS INTERFERING WITH THE STEERING. *TR

THE NYLON FUEL TANK ON MY DUCATI MONSTER IS EXPANDING DUE TO USE OF ETHANOL FUEL BLENDS AT MOST MAJOR GAS STATIONS. IT IS BEGINNING TO LEAK AROUND THE TOP AND SWELL ON THE SIDES. *TR

DUCATI MOTORCYCLE GAS TANK EXPANDING. EXPANDED SO MUCH THAT IT WAS NOT SITTING PROPERLY ON MOTORCYCLE FRAME, WAS UNABLE TO UNLATCH OR RELATCH TO BIKE TO GAIN ACCESS TO BATTERY. HAD TANK REPLACE LAST YEAR UNDER WARRANTY BY DUCATI. BUT THE NEW TANK IS NOW EXPANDING AND IT HAS BEEN 1 YEAR. FEEL THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM...GAS TANK IS PLASTIC. OLD TANKS WERE METAL, NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO ETHANOL IN THE GAS, AND THE PLASTIC GAS TANKS. I BELIEVE DUCATI NORTH AMERICA NEEDS TO GO BACK TO RE-DESIGN TANKS, POSSIBLY GO BACK TO METAL GAS TANKS. I WILL BE CONTACTING DUCATI AGAIN SOON TO SEE IF THEY WILL REPLACE MY 2ND EXPANDED GAS TANK. I ALSO HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS. I WORRY THAT THE TANK CAN BURST FROM THE PRESSURE, AND HAVE CONCERNS THAT THIS COULD OCCUR WHEN I AM DRIVING IT. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC 1000. THE TANK SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN WIDER AND DETACHED ITSELF FROM THE BRACKETS THAT HOLD IT IN PLACE. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALED THAT IS AN OVERWHELMING AND SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE COMPANY IS REPLACING THE TANKS APPARENTLY, BUT NOT ADDRESSING THE ISSUE, WHICH MIGHT BE MATERIALS, DESIGNS, ETC. *TR

2009 DUCATI SPORT CLASSIC TANK SPREADING PROBLEM. I PURCHASE THIS BIKE NEW AND HAVE OWNED IT FOR 4 MONTHS AND THE GAS TANK HAS DEFORMED TO THE POINT WHERE IT NO LONGER IS ATTACHED TO THE BIKE. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I CAN FEEL THE TANK LIFTING OFF THE BIKE. I COULD IMAGE GIVEN A LITTLE MORE WIND SPEED THE TANK WOULD FLIP UP AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM AND IT SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE BIKE HAS STATED THE MANUFACTURER WILL REPLACE THE TANK UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THAT THE ISSUE WILL PERSIST WITH THE NEW TANK SINCE IT IS OF THE SAME DESIGN. ADDITIONALLY, SMALL CRACKS IN THE PLASTIC (NOT THE PAINT) ARE BEGINNING TO FORM AROUND THE FUEL TANK FILLER AND CHECKERED CRACKS CAN BE SEEN AROUND THE SIDE. AS I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS BIKE FOR 4 MONTHS AND THIS ISSUE CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND GIVEN THAT THE REPLACEMENT TANK IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE TANK I HAVE ON THE BIKE NOW, I MAY BE REPLACING THIS TANK A HALF A DOZEN TIMES THROUGHOUT ITS LIFE. I AM CONCERNED AFTER THE WARRANTY IS OVER AND REPLACEMENT TANKS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE THAT I AND OTHERS WILL BE FORCED TO MODIFY THE MOUNTING BRACKETS ON THE BIKE TO FIT THE TANK. AND AT SOME POINT THE TANK WILL ULTIMATELY FAIL. *TR

DUCATI GAS TANK EXPANDED TO THE POINT THAT IT CAN NO LONGER BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE TO SERVICE IT. APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM AND WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LEAK AROUND THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING. POTENTIAL FIRE/SAFETY ISSUE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. HAVE READ THAT ETHANOL IN THE GAS IS THE CAUSE OF THE DEFORMATION OF THE TANK. *TR

SHIFT RETURN SPRING BREAKS, CAUSING BIKE TO STICK IN GEAR. VERY UNSAFE ESPECIALLY WHEN RIDING IN RURAL AREAS. *TR

VEHICLE: 2008 DUCATI MONSTER S4RS TRICOLORE (MOTORCYCLE) ISSUE: EXCESSIVE EXPANSION OF THE FUEL TANK CAUSING MATERIAL YIELD AND FITMENT PROBLEMS _______________________________________________________ 1) NORMAL USE OF GAS TANK (REFUELING) OVER A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS. 2) FUEL TANK IS: A) EXPANDING (TO THE POINT OF WITNESSING EXTERNAL CRACKS, RIPPLES, AND BUBBLES ) B) ELONGATION OF THE FUEL TANK CAUSES ACCESS TO COMPONENTS UNDER IT FROM BEING ACCESSED READILY (AS DESIGNED). C) CONDITION IS CONSTANT AND GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. D) RUPTURE/LEAKING HAS NOT OCCURRED, BUT IS EXPECTED. E) CONSIDERING THIS IS A MOTORCYCLE WITH THE FUEL TANK LOCATED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE RIDER, A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WOULD BE EXPECTED. 3) MOTORCYCLE WAS: A) RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR REVIEW, UPON WHICH A DECISION WAS MADE TO REPLACE THE TANK AT THE MANUFACTURE'S EXPENSE. B) THE MANUFACTURE WILL SWAP THE DEFECTIVE TANK FOR THE REPLACEMENT UNIT. *TR

THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK ON MY MOTORCYCLE IS WARPING OUT OF SHAPE. THE PROBLEM HAS SIMPLY DEVELOPED SINCE I PURCHASED THE BIKE LAST YEAR--I'VE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT, DROPPED THE BIKE, ETC. MY RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT THE WARPING PROBLEM MAY BE CAUSED BY THE TANK MATERIAL (PLASTIC) REACTING TO THE ETHANOL IN GASOLINE. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROBLEM AFFECTS SEVERAL DIFFERENT MODELS OF DUCATI MOTORCYCLES DATING BACK APPROXIMATELY 5 YEARS. DUCATI HAS REPLACED SOME DEFECTIVE TANKS ONLY TO HAVE THE REPLACEMENTS FAIL AS WELL. I'VE READ SEVERAL ACCOUNTS OF DUCATI TANKS EXPANDING TO THE POINT WHERE THEY COME LOOSE FROM THEIR MOUNTING BRACKETS. SO FAR, MINE HAS ONLY WARPED OUT OF SHAPE, ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. THIS CERTAINLY PRESENTS A SAFETY RISK. *TR