The 2003 Yamaha Xvs65 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 225,042 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 6 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
2
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
2
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:LUBRICANT
1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1
Total complaints6
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Rear differential pinion gear is not lubricated with grease during initial assembly. Lubrication of this gear is a common practice in the motorcycle industry. This oversight causes the gear to slowly wear away over time causing catastrophic failure of the drivetrain. If this occurs in a busy…”
“As I was about to leave work and head back to my hotel, my motorcycle stopped working. I had to load it onto another vehicle and sent back home to be inspected. Upon inspection my mechanic had found a gear in my final drive had cracked and broken. The part has made my motorcycle inoperable. If…”
“Yamaha xvs 650 drive shaft coupler fails. Could cause rider to lose control. Factory does not lubricate part at during assembly and does not inform owner to lubricate. This problem has occurred to many owners. This happened to me, without a major incident. Yamaha does not seem to care about this…”
“I purchased a used v-star motorcycle and, after only a few months of riding it, the piece that was used to secure my pedal shifter broke off. I was on a back road unable to shift into gear and had to push my bike off to the side of the road for safety. After I found the problem I realized that…”
“A non maintenance part on the drive train of my 2003 yamaha 650 motorcycle went out causing the bike to stop in the middle of a busy intersection which could have caused death--no warning.the mechanic said the part should have been greased at the manufacturer, but with the rust ,there was no sign…”
“A non maintenance part on the drive train of my 2003 yamaha 650 motorcycle went out causing the bike to stop in the middle of a busy intersection which could have caused death--no warning.the mechanic said the part should have been greased at the manufacturer, but with the rust ,there was no sign…”
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 Xvs65 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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