Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.: Electrical System › Software
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 2, 2020 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 799. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
Do not drive
NHTSA attached a do-not-drive advisory to this campaign. It applies to specific production runs, so check your own VIN with the manufacturer or at nhtsa.gov/recalls before driving the vehicle.
The defect
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Ninja H2 SX, Ninja H2 SXSE, and 2019-2020 Ninja H2 SXSE+ motorcycles. In the event of a gear misengagement the engine electronic control unit (ECU) programming doesn't have the capability to suppress high RPM during transmission. If the transmission gears are not properly engaged while shifting into 4th or 5th gear, high engine RPM can cause the output gears of 4th or 5th to fracture when the gears re-engage.
The risk
Damaged gears and the inability to shift can cause the engine to lock up, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
KMC will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the FI-ECU software, free of charge. Owners are advised to not ride their motorcycle until the repair has been completed. The recall began November 16, 2020. Owners may contact KMC customer service at 1-866-802-9381. KMC's number for this recall is MC20-10.
11 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Kawasaki Ninja | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Kawasaki ZX1002A | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 Kawasaki ZX1002B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Kawasaki Ninja | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Kawasaki ZX1002A | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Kawasaki ZX1002B | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 Kawasaki ZX1002D | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Kawasaki Ninja | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 Kawasaki ZX1002A | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 20V676000.
Full record for the 2020 Kawasaki Ninja → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →