2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR Complaints

YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE MIDNIGHT STAR RECALL FOR TANSMISSION. THE YAMAHA CORPERATION HAS NOT BEEN ANY HELP WHAT SO EVER IN ASSISTING WITH TIMELY REPAIRS, OR FORTHCOMMING WITH ANY INFORMATION WHAT SO EVER. ALL THAT THEY CAN TELL ANYONE IS THAT THEY HAVE KNOW IDEA WHEN PARTS MAY BE AVAILABLE. THIS IS INEXCUSEABLE FROM SUCH A LARGE CORPORATION. THEY HAVE TOLD US NOT TO RIDE BUT OFFER NO RESOLVE FOR THOSE OF US THAT DEPEND ON OUR VEHICAL FOR DAILY USE. THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT I MUST FIND A WAY TO GET IT TO THEM, AS THEY DO NOT OFFER TOWING, AND THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WARRENTY THEIR WORK FROM THEIR OWN FACTORY TRAIND TECH'S. THIS WHOLE IDEA OF HAVING TO HAVE A BRAND NEW VEHICAL TORN APART AND REBUILT WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A GARRANTEE IS LUDICRIST. AND WITH NOW DATE IN SIGHT FOR REPAIRS. THEIR ATTITUDE IS TOTALY UNACCEPTABLE AND THERE SO CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT ISN'T ANY BETTER. THEY HAVE TAKEN OUR MONEY, AND WITH SOME PEOPLE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS, THEY OFFER NOTHING IN ANYWAY TO HELP OUT EXCEPT SIT IN SILINCE AND WAIT AND WE'LL CALL YOU. HERE WE ALL SIT WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A FOUTEEN THOUSAND DOLLAR PIECE OF ART WORK. I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THE NHSTA WOULD STEP IN A ASSIST ALL OF US THAT HAVE BE DISPOSED BY THIS WHOLE PROCESS, AFTER ALL WHAT IS CONCIDERED TO BE A TIMELY REPAIR ???? PLEASE STEP IN, AND ASSIST ! SIGNED ,ROBED AND ABUSED. *AK

ON JANUARY 9, 2004, YAMAHA NOTIFIED ME MY 2003 MIDNIGHT STAR WAS UNDER RECALL AND NOT TO OPERATE IT UNTIL REPAIRED. THE DEFECT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED MY NEAREST DEALER WHO TOLD ME THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAD NO PARTS TO REPAIR. I ALSO CONTACTED THE OUT OF STATE DEALER WHO SOLD ME THE MOTORCYCLE AND THEY ADVISED THE SAME. I HAVE REPEATEDLY CONTACTED BOTH DEALERS FOR STATUS UPDATES. NEITHER HAS REPAIR KITS AND YAMAHA WILL NOT TELL THEM WHEN THEY WILL ARRIVE. THE REPAIR IS GOING TO AMOUNT TO A REBUILD OF THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION. THIS MOTORCYCLE CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. NOW YAMAHA IS GOING TO REBUILD THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION, BUT OFFER NO WARRANTY. YAMAHA OWES AN ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON THESE MOTORS. THESE REPAIRS MAY NOT BE DONE UNTIL LATE SUMMER. IT IS ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE FOR YAMAHA TO TREAT THE CONSUMERS IN THIS MANNER. THE RECALL DATE IS AUGUST OF 2003, YET YAMAHA DIDN'T NOTIFY ANYONE OF THE DANGER UNTIL JANUARY OF 2004 AND THEY ARE NOT PREPARED TO RESPOND TO THIS PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE DEALERS ALSO HAVE RECALLS ON KAWASAKI ATVS AND WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO HANDLE THE YAMAHA RECALL. YAMAHAS FAILURE TO NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS DEFECT IN A TIMELY MANNER AND THEIR REFUSAL TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION PROMPTLY DEMONSTRATES THEIR CALLOUS DISREGARD FOR THE THEIR CUSTOMERS. THE NHTSA MUST STEP IN TO FACILITATE THE COMPLETION OF THIS RECALL. THE NHTSA SHOULD ALSO REQUIRE YAMAHA TO PROVIDE A FULL WARRANTY FOR THE WORK THEY ARE DOING. *JB

THIS COMPLAINT RELATES TO YAMAHA'S FAILURE TO PERFORM RECALL REPAIRS TO A 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR (MOTORCYCLE) (SUBJECT TO A RECALL IDENTIFIED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NO. 03V309000) WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME AFTER DELIVERY OF THE VEHICLE FOR THOSE REPAIRS. THE RECALL WAS INITIATED ON AUGUST 22, 2003 FOR A RECALL INVOLVING THE VERY REAL RISK OF DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY, YET WRITTEN NOTICE WAS NOT SENT OUT UNTIL MID-JANUARY, 2004. EVEN AFTER NOTICE WAS SENT OUT, HOWEVER, YAMAHA HAS NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY THE REQUIRED RECALL. DESPITE IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO A YAMAHA-AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER PURSUANT TO THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE NOTICE OF RECALL, NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE, AND THERE IS NO PREDICTION AS TO WHEN THEY WILL BE MADE. IN PARTICULAR, MY MOTORCYCLE WAS DELIVERED TO A YAMAHA-AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER OVER A MONTH AGO, YET THE REPAIRS HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN STARTED. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE DEALER, BUT INSTEAD BY YAMAHA'S FALURE TO MAKE RECALL REPAIR PARTS AVAILABLE. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE PARTS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL AS LATE AS JULY 2004. THAT IS SIMPLY AN UNACCEPTABLE, AND WHOLLY UNREASONABLE, DELAY IN THE PROVISION OF PARTS TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM WHICH YAMAHA ITSELF ADMITS MAY CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. I AM CERTAIN THAT NHTSA WILL NOT LONG STAND FOR SUCH DELAYS IN SUCH AN IMPORTANT, AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY, RECALL.*AK

CONSUMER HAS A CONCERN OF ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE VEHICLE BEING DISASSEMBLED TO CORRECT THE SAFETY DEFECT REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION. *LA *JB

INABILITY OF MANUFACTURER TO RESPOND TO NHTSA MANDATED RECALL OF 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR MOTORCYCLE IN A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME. RECALL LETTER ISSUED BY YAMAHA CORPORATION ON JANUARY 9, 2004 FOR RECALL OF 2003 YAMAHA MIDNIGHT STAR MOTORCYCLE DUE TO FAULTY TRANSMISSION RETAINING CLIP WHICH COULD RESULT IN TRANSMISSION AND REAR WHEEL LOCKUP WHICH "COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH". ADVISED IN RECALL LETTER TO "NOT RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE UNTIL THIS MODIFICATION IS PERFORMED." TO DATE THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN PROVIDED WITH PARTS FOR REPAIR, AND IS UNSURE OF DATE ON WHICH PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM. SOME DEALERSHIP ARE ADVISING THAT REPAIRS MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE UNTIL JUNE OR JULY OR 2004. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT REPAIR MAY NOT BE UNTIL MID-MARCH, BUT THEY ARE SPECULATING DUE TO INABILITY OF YAMAHA CORPORATION TO PROPERLY ADDRESS THE WIDESPREAD RECALL ISSUE. SOME DEALERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED A FEW OF THE RECALL KITS REPORT THAT THE KITS HAD TO BE RETURNED BECAUSE THEY CONTAINED THE INCORRECT PARTS. YAMAHA CORPORATION NOT FIELDING CALLS FROM CONSUMERS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND EVASIVE ON ANSWERS WHEN THEY ARE CONTACTED. MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN UNUSABLE SINCE RECEIPT OF RECALL LETTER (12 JANUARY) TO DATE (16 FEBRUARY). IN EXCESS OF 30 DAYS WITH NO RESOLUTION IN SITE. *AK I CONTINUE TO MAKE PAYMENTS ON THIS BIKE WHILE I CANNOT OPERATE IT ON THE ADVICE OF YAMAHA CORPORATION. YAMAHA NOT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM IN AN ORDERLY. AM RESEARCHING IN NM LEMON LAW AND POSSIBLE LITIGATION AGAINST YAMAHA CORPORATION IF CONSUMER COMMUNICATIONS DOES NOT IMPROVE. REQUEST YOUR INVESTIGATION. THIS INVOLVES BETWEEN 17,000 AND 38,000 CONSUMERS.

THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT RECALL 03V309000 SUBJECT: REAR WHEEL LOCK UP, BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE SHOWROOM MOTOR CYCLES WOULD BE FIXED BEFORE ANY OTHER MOTOR CYCLES. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WHO INDICATED THAT THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE IN ONE TO THREE MONTHS. *NM

THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE RECALL OF THE ROAD STAR MOTORCYCLE FOR A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION. ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION, THE RECALL DATE WAS AUG 22, 2003. THE LETTER RECEIVED ADVISING OF THE RECALL WAS DATED JAN 9, 2004, WITH THE INSTRUCTION THAT THE MC WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. WHEN CALLED, NO PARTS ARE AVAILABLE AND REPAIR COULD BE UP TO 3 MONTHS, DEPRIVING RIDERS FROM SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION. DID THEY LEAVE US IN DANGER FROM AUGUST TO MID JANUARY? ALSO, WHY DID THEY NOT OBTAIN SUFFICIENT PARTS TO REPAIR DURING THAT TIME?*AK