The 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 6,958 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN 2003 VULCAN 1500 CLASSIC, 1500 DRIFTER, 2003-2004 1500 MEAN STREAK, 2003 1600 CLASSIC, AND 2003-2004 NOMAD FL MODEL MOTORCYCLES, HIGH OIL PRESSURE UPON A COLD START-UP CAN DEFORM THE OIL FILTER CARTRIDGE.
THIS COULD CAUSE OIL TO LEAK FROM THE OIL FILTER, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OIL FILTER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 2, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KAWASAKI AT 1-949-770-0400.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65mph, there was a whining noise emitting from the motorcycle followed by smoke. The contact managed to pull over and extinguish the fire. The fire erupted from the transfer case and drive train. Upon initial inspection, the fire was suspected to be electrical…”
“After a 15 mph frontal crash fuel tank started to leak. Motorcycle was towed. Dealership will be notified. *ak the consumer received a recall about the muffler bracket cracking. *sc”
“Rear drive splines on 2003 kawasaki vulcan 750 motorcycle were insufficiently lubricated at factory. Dealer failed to check lubrication as requred at 6000mi maintenance. Read drive failed (splines sheared) at 9900 miles. Fortunatly rider was able to pull to side of road with out injury. Rear drive…”
“This motorcycle as others from california, appears to run out of fuel when the tank is 1/2 full or less. It is well documented on the vn forums. It has been given a name of poogs which stands for phantom out of gas syndrome. The dealer escondido cycle center has not been able to fix it. I…”
“The motorcycle's splines on the driveshaft were not properly lubricated at the factory. This caused the splines to over run, and resulted in loss of power to the rear wheels. This made stopping the motorcycle difficult. Model vn750 a-19. *ak *mr”
“While riding the motorcycle, consumer experienced a sudden lost of driving force to the rear wheel and immediately started slowing down. *la upon inspection of the motorcycle, it was found that the manufacturer failed to lubricate the splined coupling that went between the driveshaft output and…”
“Rear wheel locked-up because of transmission failure while riding motorcycle. Gear shift was locked-up and transmission could not be shifted into neutral or any other gear. Repairing dealer found broken pieces in transmission. Manufacturer was notified. The problem appears to be similar or…”
“Front forks are bent. Dealer notified.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.