YAMAHA Complaints

I PURCHASED MY YAMAHA C3 SCOOTER IN MAY 2007 AND IT OPERATED FLAWLESSLY UNTIL THIS SUMMER. IN HOT HUMID CONDITIONS THE SCOOTER STALLED-OUT OR WOULD NOT START. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE SUMMER BLEND OF FUEL, BUT THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT HAD RUN FINE IN THE SAME CONDITIONS THE PREVIOUS FIVE SUMMERS. THE SCOOTER'S MALFUNCTION WOULD CAUSE THE IT TO QUIT RUNNING WHILE IN THE MIDST OF TRAFFIC WHICH CAUSED POTENTIAL RISKS OF BEING STRUCK. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROADWAY THE SCOOTER CAUSED A RISK TO OTHER MOTORISTS SINCE IT WOULD NOT RESTART FOR SEVERAL HOURS. I TOOK THE MACHINE TO A YAMAHA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. YAMAHA TECHNICAL SERVICES ADVISED THE DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE FUEL PUMP. APPARENTLY SOME PART EXPANDS WITH HEAT AND HUMIDITY WHICH THEN PREVENTS FUEL FROM FLOWING FREELY. OTHER C3S THE DEALER HAD WORKED ON HAD THE SAME COMPLAINT. I SPOKE TO YAMAHA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY GRUDGINGLY ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS AN ISSUE AND VACILLATED BETWEEN PLACING THE BLAME ON THEIR FUEL PUMP OR BLAMING IT ON THE SUMMER FORMULATION FOR GASOLINE. THEY DID NOT RELATE THEIR TRACK-RECORD FOR COMPLAINTS BUT I HAVE SINCE, THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH (FOR WHATEVER VALUE THERE IS) AND LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I THINK THIS IS IRRESPONSIBLE ON THE PART OF YAMAHA TO PUT THEIR RIDERS IN A SITUATION THAT COULD POSE PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS. I SPOKE TO A SERVICE MANAGER OF A YAMAHA DEALER IN A NEARBY METROPOLITAN AREA AND THEY REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE C3 SCOOTER. THEY INDICATED THAT A SIMILAR YAMAHA SCOOTER HAS HAD A FACTORY-ORDERED RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMPS. I VERY CONCERNED AND DISTURBED THAT YAMAHA IS NOT WILLING TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS TO CORRECT A MANUFACTURER'S FAILING TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY. *TR

IN HOT WEATHER (GREATER THAT 90 DEGREES) ENGINE STALLS AND CANNOT BE RESTARTED UNTIL ENGINE COOLS FOR AN HOUR. STALLED AT RED LIGHT IN FOUR LANE HIGHWAY. NEEDED TO PUSH TO SIDE OF ROAD. VERY DANGEROUS. STALLED AGAIN NEXT DAY SAME SITUATION. RUNS FINE AT NIGHT WHEN COOL. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 YAMAHA VSTAR 650 SILVERADO. OIL IS LEAKING FROM THE REAR AND ONTO THE REAR TIRE. THERE IS METAL THAT HAS FLAKED OFF AND MIXED WITH THIS OIL AND IT DOESN'T LOOK WELL. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET IS SEEMS AS THOUGH THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE BIKES. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A MAJOR ISSUE AND/OR POSSIBLY DEADLY SITUATION IF THE BIKE WERE TO LOCKUP ON YOU WHILE RIDING. OIL ON TIRES AND RIDING COULD POSSIBLY END VERY BADLY. SINCE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY ADDRESSED BY OTHER RIDERS MORE THAN LIKELY YAMAHA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY ISSUE. IS YAMAHA WAITING ON FATALITIES TO OCCUR? WHY HAVEN'T RECALLS BEEN ISSUED? *TR

AS I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE WORK AND HEAD BACK TO MY HOTEL, MY MOTORCYCLE STOPPED WORKING. I HAD TO LOAD IT ONTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND SENT BACK HOME TO BE INSPECTED. UPON INSPECTION MY MECHANIC HAD FOUND A GEAR IN MY FINAL DRIVE HAD CRACKED AND BROKEN. THE PART HAS MADE MY MOTORCYCLE INOPERABLE. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED ON A LONG RIDE HOME, THE DAMAGE COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE. *TR

WHEN HEADING INTO THE SUN THE SPEEDOMETER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE, ALL YOU SEE IS A BLACK CIRCLE. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS SINCE YOU CAN NOT TELL YOU SPEED AT ALL. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY YAMAHA BOLT IS ILLEGIBLE IN WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING ON IT CREATING A HAZARDOUS SITUATION ON THE ROAD FOR ME AND OTHERS. *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE DURING THE DAY UNLESS THE SUN IS DIRECTLY SHINING ON IT. IT IS FINE AT NIGHT. *TR

I WAS EXITING INTERSTATE 81 NEAR HARRISBURG, PA, WHEN THE OEM ACCESSORY STORAGE TRUNK FELL OFF THE BACK OF THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOUNTING BRACKET CRACKED, ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. THANKFULLY, MY PASSENGER DID NOT FALL OFF, AS THE TRUNK DOUBLES AS A BACKREST. ALSO THANKFULLY, THERE WAS NOT A VEHICLE DIRECTLY BEHIND ME, AS THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE TRUNK WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR, AND I PURCHASED A NEW ONE OUT OF POCKET. IN 2011, I BECAME AWARE OF A BULLETIN/RECALL FROM YAMAHA. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MOUNTING BRACKET AND SUPPLIED A REINFORCEMENT PLATE FOR THE TRUNK BOTTOM. YAMAHA DID NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR THE NEW TRUNK PURCHASE. *TR

I WAS PULLING UP TO A STOP LIGHT AND LOST ALL POWER. DIAGNOSIS SHOWED A FAILED IGNITION SWITCH. ONLINE INVESTIGATION INDICATES YAMAHA WAS FORCED BY THE NHTSA TO RECALL 2006-09 FJR 1300 MODELS FOR THIS SWITCH FAILURE, AND THERE ARE A HUGE NUMBER OF 2001-05 OWNERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME FAILURE. THIS COULD, AND PROBABLY HAS, LED TO INJURY OR DEATH IF FAILURE OCCURS AT A HIGHER SPEED. I WAS 500 MILES AWAY FROM HOME AT THE TIME, AND INCURRED COST EXCEEDING $500 TO GET HOME WITH THE MOTORCYCLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 YAMAHA BOLT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER EXHIBITED DARK COLORS AND WHEN DRIVING UNDER THE SUN, THE SPEEDOMETER COULD NOT BE READ BECAUSE IT WAS TOO DIM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100.