The 2002 Yamaha Road Star has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 29,139 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN03V3090002003-08-2629,139 affected
Defect
IN THE TRANSMISSION ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE SECOND/THIRD PINION GEAR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MACHINED WHICH COULD CAUSE ABNORMAL WEAR THAT EVENTUALLY RESULTS IN A BROKEN RETAINER CIRCLIP.
Consequence
IF THE CIRCLIP BREAKS, THE TRANSMISSION COULD LOCK UP, WHICH WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND A CRASH, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy
YAMAHA WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION GEARS AND SHAFTS WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-88-YAMAHA OR VISIT…
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 yamaha road star. While driving 60 mph the rear wheel locked. Upon further inspection he noticed that pins that connect the fourth and the fifth gear had fractured. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was…”
“Freeway driving at 50 mph, I heard a pop and my speedometer quit. Heard grinding in the drive train. I pulled over to a stop. Upon rolling my bike onto a trailer the rear end locked up. The middle gear shaft snapped off at rear end with the retaining nut floating loose with the front u-joint in…”
“Freeway driving at 50 mph, I heard a pop and my speedometer quit. Heard grinding in the drive train. I pulled over to a stop. Upon rolling my bike onto a trailer the rear end locked up. The middle gear shaft snapped off at rear end with the retaining nut floating loose with the front u-joint in…”
“Consumer received a recall notice concerning the replacement of transmission. No parts were available. Service manager monica. *ak”
“Consumer received a recall notice(vp02e00) for replacement of the transmission!!!!!!!!no parts available per service manager victor. *nm”
“Consumer received a recall notice for replacement of the transmission. No parts were available. Service manager victor . *ak”
“Front/rear brakes wore out prematurely. Consumer would have to replace every 4,000 mile. Dealership repaired the problem once, but the consumer is still having the same problems. *ak .. ..*ak”
“2002 yamaha roadstar trany recall. Recall letter was recieved in early january of 2004. This is the only response recieved from yamaha. Dealers have not been forthcoming with progress on the replacement parts and yamaha corp, you can't get through on the phones to customer service. According to…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE03038 Opened 2003-08-11 · closed 2003-11-06
UNINTENDED REAR WHEEL LOCKUP
SUMMARY: ON AUGUST 22, 2003 YAMAHA NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR2001 XV1600 ?ROAD STAR? MODEL MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN THOSE VEHICLES.ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FAIL DUE TO EXCESSIVE BUSHING WEAR ON THE 4TH PINION GEAR.BASED ON ITS ANALYSIS OF…
InvestigationPE03038 Opened 2003-08-11 · closed 2003-11-06
UNINTENDED REAR WHEEL LOCKUP
SUMMARY: ON AUGUST 22, 2003 YAMAHA NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR2001 XV1600 ?ROAD STAR? MODEL MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN THOSE VEHICLES.ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FAIL DUE TO EXCESSIVE BUSHING WEAR ON THE 4TH PINION GEAR.BASED ON ITS ANALYSIS OF…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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