Kawasaki Vulcan
Owners filed 62 complaints across 14 model years of the Kawasaki Vulcan. The 1996 drew the most (9); the 2010 the fewest (0).
Model years14
Complaints62
Recalls6
Fires2
Deaths0
Every Kawasaki Vulcan model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 2009 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Exterior Lighting › Headlights | Routine | |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2003 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft | Routine | |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft | Routine | |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System | Routine | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly | Routine | |
| 1999 | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1997 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1996 | 9 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | Unknown or Other | Routine |
Which Kawasaki Vulcan years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1996 is the weakest year on record, with 9 complaints concentrated in the engine and engine cooling › engine.
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.