Ducati North America is recalling certain 2018 Ducati Panigale V4

Jul 19, 2018 — Recall Campaign #18V480000

Ducati North America (Ducati) is recalling certain 2018 Ducati Panigale V4, Panigale 959, Panigale 1299 FE, and Hypermotard motorcycles. The friction material on the rear brake pads may detach from the backing plate.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 72 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

18V480000

Manufacturer:	Ducati North America
Recall date:	July 19, 2018
NHTSA Campaign #:	18V480000
Units affected:	72

Description:: Ducati North America (Ducati) is recalling certain 2018 Ducati Panigale V4, Panigale 959, Panigale 1299 FE, and Hypermotard motorcycles. The friction material on the rear brake pads may detach from the backing plate.
Consequeces:: If the rear brake pad friction material detaches, it may lengthen the distance needed to stop the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective action:: Ducati will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear brake pads. Brake pads from the affected batch will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began August 27, 2018. Owners may contact Ducati customer service at 1-888-391-5446.
Notes:: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Affects the following:

2018 DUCATI PANIGALE 959 Complaints
I WAS RIDING UP TO A RED LIGHT INTERSECTION AND APPLIED THE REAR BRAKES. THEY SEIZED CLOSED (SAME EFFECT AS SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES), ALMOST WASHING ME OUT INTO CROSSTRAFFIC. THEY DID NOT RELEASE FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS ONCE STOPPED. THERE WAS NO DIRT, WATER, OR FOD IN THE HYDRAULIC LINES OR THE PAD/ROTOR. I HAD JUST BLED THEM, SO IT WAS NOT THE EXPANSION OF AN AIR POCKET. THE RETURN CHANNEL (THE SMALL PINHOLE BACK TO THE RESERVOIR) WAS CLEAR, AND THE SPRING WAS FUNCTIONAL. I SEARCHED FOR OTHER PROBLEMS AND FOUND SRV-RCL-18-004, A KNOWN RECALL FOR FAULTY REAR BRAKE PADS ON MY BIKE/MODEL (HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/RCL/2018/RCRIT-18V480-3230.PDF). I SUSPECT THAT THEY THERMALLY FUSED TO MY DISC DURING THE INCIDENT ABOVE. I REMOVED THE BRAKE PADS TO INSPECT THEM. PICTURES ARE ATTACHED. SURE ENOUGH, THE PADS WERE TRASHED. NOT ONLY WAS THE FRICTION MATERIAL COMPLETELY GONE, BUT ABOUT 80-90% OF THE BACKING PLATE ON WHICH THE PAD IS ADHERED WAS WORN THROUGH. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS 3500 MILES, WELL BEFORE EOL FOR A HEALTHY REAR BRAKE PAD. IF A MOTORCYCLE IS DRIVEN FOR 3500 MILES WITH NO FRONT BRAKE APPLICATION, ONLY REAR, THAT WOULD STILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO WEAR THE REAR PAD OUT TO THIS DEGREE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT. THE ROTORS ARE SCORED DUE TO THE CONTACT WITH THE FAULTY BRAKE PAD. I HAVE REPLACED THE REAR PADS TO TEMPORARILY ALLOW REAR BRAKING, BUT EFFICIENCY IS REDUCED AGAINST A NON-FLAT ROTOR. I HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL. THEY DID NOT NOTIFY ME OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL, WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR OWNER CONTACT AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.;
2018 DUCATI PANIGALE V4 S Complaints
The contact owns a 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V570000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the issue; however, the recall repair was not performed because the contact had previously replaced the part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the manufacturer agreed with the dealer and declined the repair. The failure mileage was 15,414.;