The 2002 Yamaha Xvs11 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 225,042 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEATS05V2560002005-06-0146,000 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYLES, THE ORIGINAL REPLACEMENT MOUNTING HARDWARE HOLDING THE PASSENGER SEAT TO THE FENDER COULD BREAK IF THE MOUNTING HARDWARE IS OVER TIGHTENED.
Consequence
IF THE HARDWARE BREAKS, THE PASSENGER SEAT CAN FALL OFF THE REAR FENDER. THE PASSENGER COULD LOSE BALANCE AND FALL, CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy
OWNERS MAY ALREADY HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM YAMAHA DATED MARCH 3, 2005, ABOUT THIS DEFECT. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN IMPROVED REMEDY TO THE REPAIR OF THE PREVIOUS RECALL, YAMAHA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES AGAIN. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HARDWARE HOLDING THE PASSENGER SEAT TO THE FENDER WITH COMPONENTS OF A…
SEATS05V0670002005-03-03179,042 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE MOUNTING HARDWARE HOLDING THE PASSENGER SEAT TO THE FENDER COULD LOOSEN DUE TO THE PASSENGER'S WEIGHT SHIFTING ON THE SEAT.
Consequence
IF THE MOUNTING HARDWARE BECOMES LOOSE ENOUGH TO FALL OFF, THE PASSENGER SEAT CAN FALL OFF THE REAR FENDER. A PASSENGER ON THE MOTORCYCLE COULD LOSE BALANCE AND FALL, CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT'S MOUNTING HARDWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 4, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT YAMAHA AT 1-800-227-5963.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
6
1crashes
POWER TRAIN
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints15
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Middle drive shaft snapped off where the nut goes on. This is very dangerous and has happened on many of these bikes. The back wheel can lock up and put the motorcycle into a skid causing an accident that could easily result in death. I was driving down the road and noticed a loud noise coming…”
“Motorcycle started making noise when letting off the gas. Rear wheel locked up just as I got home. End of middle shaft broken off and nut jammed in u-joint. *tr”
“While commuting to work I noticed a very loud whining sound coming from the drive shaft area during decelleration on my 2002 v-star 1100. After further inspection and research I learned it was my middle drive that had actually dismembered itself, causing a broken part to rattle around inside the…”
“When starting and shutting off the motorcycle, there tends to be a loud clunk. This has been going on since I purchased this bike from a private owner in 2010. I have all of the service documentation for this bike from the previous owner, all maintenance was performed on schedule. Just recently, I…”
“The vehicle is a 2002 yamaha v star 1100 classic motorcycle with approx. 74,000 miles.the events leading up to the incident were just normal riding conditions for this motorcycle. The failure occurred when the tip of the middle drive shaft sheared off with the nut that holds it in place. This is a…”
“Had the middle drive shaft bolt shear off my 1100 v star. As a result of the bolt shearing of for no apparent reason it locked up the rear tire,lost control and nearly killed myself !!! *tr”
“Was driving in town around 30mph ,,,all of a sudden I heard and developed a whine (sounded like tire whine)., could only hear it during deceleration. Noise gradually got louder. Loud crunch was heard when nut holding u-joint to middle gear dislodged and busted speedo pickup. I am a technical…”
“Product is 2002 yamaha vstar 1100 motorcycle (xvs1100) purchased in 2002. After several years of riding, middle drive shaft assembly is in the process of failing, which could cause injury or death. Many enthusiasts of this model report failure of assembly which is a known manufacturing defect.…”
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 Xvs11 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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