Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › ignition. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System › Ignition › Switch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Ignition | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CONSUMER PLACED KEY IN THE IGNITION OF MOTORCYCLE TO START IT. WHEN CONSUMER REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION MOTORCYCLE WOULD STILL BE RUNNING. CONSUMER DROVE THE MOTORCYCLE TO DEALER, AND MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT MOTORCYCLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. *AK
THE IGNITION SWITCH ON MY 1998 ROYAL STAR WILL CUT OUT AT INTERMITTENT TIMES CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 8 OR 9 TIMES NOW SINCE THE 1ST OCCURANCES (5) ON 9/15/2001. THE MOTORCYCLE IS STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTEE AND A REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH IS ON ORDER BUT I FEEL THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN A MOTORCYCLE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING AT SPEED THERE IS A SUDDEN DECELERATION THAT COULD CAUSE A RIDER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE. IF THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER OCCURS WHILE ATTEMPTING A PASSING MANEUVER IT COULD RAPIDLY RESULT IN A SERIOUS SITUATION WHERE THE CYCLIST HAS NO POWER TO MANUVER AND IS FACED WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I WAS (ALMOST) IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION WHILE TOURING THE GREEN MOUNTIANS IN VERMONT ON 9/15/2001. I LOST ENGINE POWER 5 SEPARATE TIMES DURING THAT TRIP, TWICE WHILE ON MOUNTAIN ROADS WITH NO SHOULDER TO COAST ONTO AND TRAFFIC RIGHT ON MY REAR FENDER. THE ONLY WAY TO RESTART THE ENGINE IS TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, TURN THE INGITION KEY OFF/ON AND THEN PRESS THE STARTER BUTTON. TRYING TO DO THIS WHILE SUDDENLY LOOSING POWER IN FULL TRAFFIC IS TRICKY EVEN FOR AN EXPERIENCED CYCLIST. COMPOUNDING IT WITH THE LOCATION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH (LOW FRONT LEFT FORK) REQUIRING THE RIDER TO REACH DOWN AROUND THE FUEL TANK MAKES FOR A VERY HAIRY SITUATION. IN MY RESEARCH ON THIS COMPONENT I HAVE FOUND THAT YAMAHA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS REDESIGNED THE IGNITION SWICH ASSEMBLY. BUT THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT UNTIL A
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
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.