2002 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500

Routine

Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension › rear. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Suspension › Rear2
000
Suspension › Front1
101
Suspension1
000
Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Oct 17, 2003CA

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY MOTORCYCLE STALLED. DRIVER TRIED TO RESTART THE MOTORCYCLE, BUT IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER HE WALKED THE MOTORCYCLE OVER TO THE SHOULDER. THEN IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. BUT THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Suspension › FrontCrash1 injured
Filed Mar 27, 2003TX

THE FRONT END OF THE MOTORCYCLE MADE A LOUD NOISE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE MOTORCYCLE BY THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INDICATED THE FRONT WHEEL WAS WOBBLING AND THE SPACER BAR WAS MOBILE ALSO. THE SPACER BAR WAS TIGHTENED, HOWEVER 2 WEEKS LATER, THE FRONT END SEIZED UP AND THE BIKE FLIPPED OVER. *JB THE FRONT TIRE FAILED AND CAUSED THE BIKE TO FALL. THE CONSUMER HAS MADE REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FONT TIRE SINCE PURCHASE. SCC

Suspension › Rear
Filed Dec 5, 2002FL

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft
Filed Nov 21, 2002TX

WELDING TO DRIVE SHAFT WAS IMPROPERLY DONE RESULTING IN A REAR END CLICK NOISE. *TT

Suspension › Rear
Filed Aug 29, 2002TX

REAR END IS MAKING A POPPING AND CLICKING NOISES WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE BEEN TO DEALER, AND PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

Suspension
Filed Aug 22, 2002NY

WHILE DRIVING 30MPH HEARD CLUNKING NOISE. WHEN HITTING POTHOLE NOISE STOPPED. .DEALER NOTIFIED, AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. *AK

6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1997
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2002 — this page6000Routine
19993110Routine
19977000Routine
19964000Routine
19955000Routine
19943000Routine

Compare every Vulcan 1500 year →

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.