Kawasaki KLR650
Owners filed 207 complaints across 18 model years of the Kawasaki KLR650. The 2008 drew the most (116); the 2024 the fewest (1).
Model years18
Complaints207
Recalls1
Fires1
Deaths1
Every Kawasaki KLR650 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 | — | — | Steering | Routine | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2008 | 116 | 1 | 1 | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | Tires | Fatalities reported | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2002 | 11 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2001 | 19 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 2000 | 8 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1998 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Suspension › Front | Routine | |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Caliper | Routine |
Which Kawasaki KLR650 years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2008 is the weakest year on record, with 116 complaints concentrated in the exterior lighting. It carries 1 recall.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.