The 2018 Kawasaki Ninja has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,189 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM20V6760002020-11-02799 affected
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…
Consequence
Damaged gears and the inability to shift can cause the engine to lock up, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
STRUCTURE18V5800002018-08-30390 affected
Defect
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (Kawasaki) is recalling certain 2018 Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE (ZXT02BJ) motorcycles. The pin for the center stand spring may have been improperly welded, and, as a result, the pin may shift or fall off resulting in the spring detaching and the center stand dropping to the ground…
Consequence
The dragging center stand can cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left center stand bracket, free of charge. Owners may contact Kawasaki customer service at 1-866-802-9381. Kawasaki's number for this recall is MC18-05.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
2
ENGINE
1
Total complaints3
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Issues shifting... Im suspecting its the brake in oil causing this because at least 15 times up until my first oil change you would be shifting gears and the gear wouldn't fully engage unexpectedly causing the bike to rapidly slow down with cars behind me having to slam on brakes. And also at…”
“Issues shifting... Im suspecting its the brake in oil causing this because at least 15 times up until my first oil change you would be shifting gears and the gear wouldn't fully engage unexpectedly causing the bike to rapidly slow down with cars behind me having to slam on brakes. And also at…”
“On my way home from the dealer it popped out of gear and acted like it missed a gear twice. Have had it about 20 days now and its missed out popped out of gear at least 20 or 25 times now. This shouldn't be happening on a new bike”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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