The 2003 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 105 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…
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
62
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
36
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SHOCK ABSORBER
1
SUSPENSION:REAR
1
Total complaints105
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 yamaha roadstar. He experienced difficulty when attempting to raise the vehicle using the jack. Upon further inspection he noticed that the shock spring assembly mount had fractured. He called several dealerships and was told that the failure was never reported. He…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 2003 yamaha road star. While driving 55 mph, the rear tire struck the top of the rear fender. The dealer stated that the rear shock mount caused the failure; as of november 19, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 59,000.…”
“Carburetor on 2003 yamaha roadstar (xv1600) will spit gas out on hot cylinder heads and crankcase unpredictably. Happens when restarting engine after engine has been stopped for a short period after coming in from a ride. Ride can be short or long; unpredictable. Was checked by dealer during first…”
“While riding m y 2003 yamaha roadstar I had problems getting it to shift into 4th gear. I checked the internet for any recalls on the bike. When I found that there is a recall I took the bike to my local dealer, the ran the vin# and said that it had already been done. The recall states that after…”
“Nhtsa recall 03v309000 regarding transmission failure. After having recall repairs done, a week later, consumer heard a loud noise, and took it back to the dealer for inspection. *ak”
“Consumer received a recall notice for replacement of transmission. No parts were available. Service manager sarah. *ak”
“Consumer received a recall notice concerning transmission failure. No parts were available. Service manager victor. *ak”
“Consumer received a recall notice for transmission failure. No parts were available. Service manager victor. *ak”
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 2003 Yamaha Road Star as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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