Exterior Lighting
Filed May 8, 200820,000 milesTX
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT REFLECTOR LENS DETERIORATES IN JUST OVER ONE YEAR. NOT THE LENS ITSELF BUT THE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL. *TR
2004 Buell XB12R
Routine
Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting › headlights. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting › Headlights | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Concealment Devices | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsExterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed May 29, 20077,000 milesNY
HEADLIGHTS REFLECTIVE COATING FAILING. LIGHTS BECOMING TOO WEAK TO SEE AT NIGHT. PLEASE NOTE- MODEL IS XB12R, NOT AVAILABLE ON YOUR LIST, CLOSEST AVAILABLE WAS XB12S, HEADLIGHTS NOT THE SAME ON THESE TWO MODELS. *TR
Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Concealment Devices
Filed Feb 23, 2007OH
THE HEAD LAMPS ON MY 2004 BUELL XB12R ARE IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT DUE TO DEGRADATION OF THE REFLECTIVE COATING ON THE LAMP REFLECTOR. THE REFLECTOR IS ACTUALLY RUBBING OFF, REDUCING THE OUTPUT OF THE LIGHT TO A POINT DANGEROUSLY INEFFECTIVE FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THIS AFFECTS BOTH THE LOW AND HIGH BEAM ASSEMBLIES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, LEADING TO A POTENTIALITY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE RIDING AT NIGHT. *JB
Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Feb 23, 200725,000 milesKS
THE REFLECTIVE SURFACE ON THE HEAD LAMPS ON MY 2004 BUELL XB12R FIREBOLT HAVE DEGRADED TO THE POINT THAT THE LAMPS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NM
Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Feb 23, 2007CA
INADEQUATE/UNSAFE LIGHTING. *NM
Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Feb 22, 20075,000 milesCA
ON THE BUELL MOTORCYCLE XB9R AND XB12R THE HEADLIGHTS BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL AFTER ABOUT 1 YR OF USAGE. THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING REFLECTIVE MATERIAL TURNS TO POWDER DUE TO THE NATURAL HEAT FROM THE HEADLIGHT. *JB
Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Feb 8, 200725,000 milesKS
THE HEAD LAMPS ON MY 2004 BUELL XB12R HAVE NEEDED REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THE REFLECTIVE COATING ON THE LAMP REFLECTOR, DEGRADE TO THE POINT THAT LIGHT OUTPUT BECOME DANGEROUSLY LOW FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS A TWO HEADLIGHT SYSTEM. ONE LAMP IS USED FOR LOW BEAM THE OTHER FOR HIGH BEAM. THE LOW BEAM LAMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE SINCE THE BIKE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN AUG 2004. THE HIGH BEAM LAMP HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE IN THE SAME TIME FRAME. I EXPECTED TO HAVE TO CONTINUE ANNUAL REPLACEMENT OF THE LAMP ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND TO MAINTAIN SAFE NIGHT DRIVING. *NM
7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.