DUCATI Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE PLASTIC THAT COVERED THE ENGINE RUPTURED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ON HIS SUPERBIKE 999R MOTORCYCLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THERE HAVE BEEN NO CORRECTIONS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. *AK

FRONT BRAKES VIBRATE AND SHUDDER EVERY TIME THE MOTORCYCLE IS APPROACHING A STOP, SOMETIMES VIOLENTLY. THIS BEGAN WHEN THE BIKE HAD REACHED 600 MILES IN SERVICE, AND HAS NOT STOPPED SINCE THEN. THERE ARE NOW HAS 3600 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND INSPECTED THE BIKE BUT GAVE NO REMEDY AND COULD NOT REPAIR IT. *NM

REAR VIEW MIRRORS ON MODEL YEAR 2004 DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1000DS MOTORCYCLE ARE EFFECTIVELY USELESS. REARWARD VISIBILITY IS ESSENTIALLY NIL, EVEN WITH FULL ADJUSTMENT ONE IS UNABLE TO SEE LITTLE MORE THAN THE RIDERS ARMS. DUCATI OBVIOUSLY KNOW OF THIS DEFECT BECAUSE MODEL YEAR 2005 BIKES HAVE DIFFERENT MIRRORS WHICH ARE CONSIDERABLY BETTER AS FAR AS REARWARD VISIBILITY IS CONCERNED. DUCATI REFUSE TO REPLACE MIRRORS ON 2004 BIKE ENDER WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH I BELIEVE THEY ARE A SAFETY LIABILITY. *NM

UPON APPLYING THE FRONT BRAKE, FREQUENTLY THE MOTORCYCLE FRONT END SHAKES BACK AND FORTH. THIS CAN GET VIOLENT AT TIMES AND THE RIDER LOSES CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE. *NM

THERE IS A RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR YEAR 2004 OF MY BIKE, DUCATI ST4S, RECALL # 05V221000 RE. AIR BOX BREATHER HOSE IN CONTACT W/ THE HORIZONTAL EXHAUST PIPE RESULTING IN POSSIBLE FIRE. MY BIKE IS THE SAME MODEL BUT YEAR 2003. IN THE CHOICES MENU MY BIKE WAS NOT LISTED SO I ENTERED THE FIRST ONE ON THE LIST, THE 749, BUT THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR THE ST4S. MY BREATHER HOSE IS IN CONTACT WITH THE EXHAUST AND HAS MELTED/CAUGHT FIRE SO YEAR 2003 (AND POSSIBLY EARLIER) SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. I CAUGHT IT AND LUCKILY THE DAMAGE IS ONLY ON THE HOSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

PLASTIC COOLANT TANK (RESERVOIR, NOT OVERFLOW CATCH TANK) LOCATED AT STEERING HEAD AREA ROUTINELY FAILS AND LEAKS COOLANT BENEATH MOTORCYCLE. THIS COULD CAUSE SLIPPERY COOLANT TO CONTACT REAR TIRE, WHICH COULD CAUSE VEHICLE LOSS OF CONTROL AND CRASH.

I OWN 2004 DUCATI 998 MATIRX MOTORCYCLE. IT HAS A PROBLEM OF STALLING AT LOW SPEEDS. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. THE BIKE DIES INSTANTANEOUSLY. INITIALLY, IT WAS STALLING WHILE STOPPED AND IDLING. LATER, IT WOULD DIE AS I WAS RIDING THE BIKE. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2004, I WAS CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION WHEN THE BIKE DIED AND CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP. THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS FORCED TO SWERVE TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH MY MOTORCYCLE. I HAD TO PUSH THE BIKE OUT OF THE INTERSECTION BECAUSE IT WOULD START THEN IMMEDIATELY DIE. I TOOK THE BIKE TO MY DEALER. THEY HAD IT FOR 6 WEEKS AND FAILED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I WENT TO THE INTERNET AND VISITED SEVERAL DUCATI WEBSITES. I DISCOVERED FROM OTHER OWNERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THE STALLING PROBLEM HAS EXISTED FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS IN DUCATI MOTORCYCLES. I THEN EMAILED DUCATI IN ITALY. THEIR RESPONSE WAS FOR ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA AND TO CONTACT DUCATI NORTH AMERICA. I RETURNED THE BIKE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY KEPT THE BIKE FOR 2 MORE WEEKS AND AGAIN FAILED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I RETURNED THE BIKE A THIRD TIME. AGAIN, I WAS CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION WHEN THE BIKE DIED AND CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP. THIS TIME THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO LOCK UP THE BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE BIKE IS NOW IN THE SHOP. IT HAS BEEN THERE ALMOST THE ENTIRE WEEK. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY HAVE CONTACTED TECH REPS AND ATTENDED A DUCATI SCHOOL WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE STALLING IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE WHEN RIDING THIS BIKE. THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME WERE VERY ALERT. I COULD HAVE SUFFERED INJURIES OR EVEN DEATH DUE TO DUCATI IGNORING THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR BIKES FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. *NM

I AM REPORTING THIS INCIDENT AS HAVING INVOLVE 0 DEATHS, BUT IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MOTORCYCLES, OIL SPILLING OUT TO THE REAR TIRES AS A RESULT OF A BLOWUP WITHIN THE FIRST 700 MILES SINCE PURCHASED NEW SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE AND CAN BE POTENTIALLY FATAL FOR THE RIDER. I EXPERIENCED THIS ON MY 2004 DUCATI 749 DARK. AN OIL COOLER WAS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED ON THE MOTORCYCLE DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO FAIL AND SPILL OIL INTO THE PATH OF THE REAR TIRE. I AM QUITE SURPRISED THAT HAVING A "BLOWUP" WHERE OIL FROM THE CRANKCASE SHOOTS OUT THE AIRBAG DUE TO INADEQUATE VENTILATION AND/OR BAD PISTONS FROM THE FACTORY HAS NOT YET BEEN ADDRESSED. AT WHAT POINT DOES THE NEGLIGENCE SHIFT FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY INVOLVED IN ENSURING OUR SAFETY AND PROTECTION FROM DEFECTIVE VEHICLES? I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT REQUESTING YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER AS EVEN THE DEALER FROM WHERE I PURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE ADMITS THAT THIS HAPPENS ON OCCASION WITH THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF MY MOTORCYCLE AS WELL AS THE 999 MODEL SINCE THEY'RE SIMILARLY DESIGNED. IN THE INTEREST FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHER RIDERS OF THIS MOTORCYCLE, YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION IS WARRANTED. I WOULD LIKE A CALL BACK TO VERIFY THAT SOMEONE FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS ACCEPTED THIS CASE TO PURSUE AGAINST DUCATI. OTHERWISE, I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO MAKE PUBLIC THE NEGLIGENCE OF NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS MATTER UNTIL AFTER SOMEONE DIES FROM IT. I ANXIOUSLY AWAIT YOUR CALL. *AK

I WISH TO LODGE A COMPLAINT AGAINST DUCATI MOTORCYCLES BASED ON A RECENT EXPERIENCE I HAD WITH MY 2004 DUCATI 749 DARK. THE MOTORCYCLE ONLY HAD APPROXIMATELY 650 MILES ON IT WHEN I EXPERIENCED A FAILURE FROM THE OIL CRANK CASE, RESULTING IN OIL BEING DISCHARGED IN THE PATH OF MY REAR TIRE, AS WELL AS TO THE ENTIRE MOTOR, PRESENTING A VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION. I ORIGINALLY SUSPECTED THE PROBLEM TO BE BASED ON AN OIL COOLER THAT WAS RECALLED BACK IN AUGUST DESPITE MY MOTORCYCLE BEING PURCHASED LAST MONTH (NOVEMBER). HOWEVER, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL AND WAS BASED ON A DIFFERENT PART FAILING WHERE A CHANGE WAS MADE TO THE 2005 MODEL ADDRESSSING THIS ISSUE. DUCATI'S PROPOSED SOLUTION WAS TO HAVE THE DEALER FROM WHICH I PURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE DRILL HOLES INTO THE CRANK CASE TO MAKE IT SIMILAR TO THE 2005 MODEL RATHER THAN PROVIDING THEM WITH A REPLACEMENT PART. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE SOLUTION AS THIS CAUSES THE PART OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO NO LONGER BE "FACTORY" GRADE. WHAT'S EVEN MORE TROUBLING IN THIS MATTER IS THAT MY MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE FOR THE 2004 MODEL. DESPITE THIS, THERE IS NO RECALL CAMPAIGN FOR THIS DEFECTIVE CRANK CASE DESIGN THAT COULD PRESENT FATAL RESULTS.*AK

I HAVE A DUCATI 1999 900SS MOTORCYCLE. THE GAS TANK LEAKS GAS FROM WHERE THE REAR HINGE AND TANK ARE WELDED. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM BEAUSE THE GAS LIQUID AND FUMES ARE EXTREMELY FLAMABLE AND DRIP ON AND NEAR THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST WHICH GET EXTREMELY HOT UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE A FIRE. FOR CLOSE TO A YEAR BEVERLY HILLS DUCATI WAS UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEM AND THEIR ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO PURCHASE A NEW TANK. BEVERLY HILLS DUCATI IS NOW AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THEIR RECOMNDATION IS TO HAVE THE TANK WELDED. I PERSONALLY KNOW FOUR OTHER 99 SUPERSPORT OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM LEAK. THIS PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED REGADING THIS PROBLEM THAT IS A RESULT OF A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE HINGE AND GAS TANK. WILL A RECALL BE ISSUED FOR THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM? MUST DUCATI PAY TO HAVE THE CRITICAL REPAIR MADE? *AK