Kawasaki VN1500

Owners filed 12 complaints across 7 model years of the Kawasaki VN1500. The 2001 drew the most (3); the 2002 the fewest (1).

Model years7
Complaints12
Recalls4
Fires0
Deaths0

Every Kawasaki VN1500 model year compared

Complaints per year
YearComplaintsRelative volumeRecallsFiresCrashesMost reportedStatus
20021
0Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › GasolineRoutine
20013
0Power Train › Manual TransmissionRoutine
20002
0Tires › Tread/BeltRoutine
19992
11Unknown or OtherRoutine
19981
0Power Train › Clutch AssemblyRoutine
19972
2TiresRoutine
19961
1Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/DevicesRoutine

Which Kawasaki VN1500 years should you avoid?

On raw complaint volume the 2001 is the weakest year on record, with 3 complaints concentrated in the power train › manual transmission.

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.