Owners have filed 10 complaints
about the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 with NHTSA between 2015 and 2018.
The largest single group is the transmission & drivetrain.
Across this model's run it ranks 3 of 3 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 23
Against the median year of the Yamaha YZF-R1. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 100
100% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Transmission & Drivetrain
660.0%
Median failure at 906 miles
Engine & Cooling
330.0%
Median failure at 906 miles
Brakes
110.0%
Median failure at 56 miles
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Dec 2015peak 5Dec 2018
Recalls on the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2015559240 units in Canada
Powertrain
On certain motorcycles, the second gear wheel and the pinion gears in the transmission may be of inadequate strength. In high stress cases, this could cause internal components in the transmission to deform or break. If gears were to fail, the transmission could lock up, which would also cause the rear wheel to lock up. This could result in loss of control and/or a crash, increasing the risk of injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the transmission assembly with one that includes gears of a different design.
Recall 201515262 units in Canada
Suspension
On certain motorcycles, the rear shock absorber may not have been manufactured correctly. The piston rod nut may have been tightened before the piston had the correct full metal-to-metal contact. This could result in the nut loosening, which would prevent proper rear suspension action, and could cause poor handling that may result in a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the rear shock absorber with a correctly manufactured one.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
at 5,000 milesSAN Jose, CA
ENGINE
THE MOTORCYCLE IT'S BROKEN ENGINE ONLY 5000 MILES I PAY 17 THOUSAND HELP ME PLEASE
NHTSA complaint #11155291 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 3,400 milesKenosha, WI
POWER TRAIN
I HAD THE TRANSMISSION RECALL DONE 12/23/2015 AT DON AND ROYS MOTORSPORTS IN BROOKFIELD WISCONSIN AND I WAS ABLE TO RIDE IT, DUE TO WEATHER, 04/17/2016. DURING THE RIDE THE BIKE HAD A SQUEAL OR HUMMING SOUND WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING OR MAINTAINING SPEED BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH IN ANY GEAR. WHEN I DECELERATED WITHIN THAT RANGE THE SQUEAL STOPS. I AM NOT HAPPY AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE RIDING THIS BIKE. RE-REBUILDING THE ENGINE IS NOT GOING TO BRING BACK ANY TRUST I ONCE HAD RIDING THIS BIKE. I EXPECT A FULL REFUND OR FULL CREDIT TOWARDS ANOTHER BIKE. IF THINGS AREN'T MADE RIGHT... I WILL DEFINITELY KEEP THIS EXPERIENCE IN MIND ON MY NEXT MOTORCYCLE PURCHASE.
NHTSA complaint #10859975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 906 milesMiami, FL
POWER TRAIN
RECALL CAMPAIGN 15V802. OIL WAS LEAKING ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTORCYCLE (REAR TIRE+EXHAUST+ALL THE PLASTIC COVERS+ RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTOR).
NHTSA complaint #10825947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 906 milesMiami, FL
ENGINE
RECALL CAMPAIGN 15V802. OIL WAS LEAKING ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTORCYCLE (REAR TIRE+EXHAUST+ALL THE PLASTIC COVERS+ RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOTOR).
NHTSA complaint #10825947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 56 milesNeedham, MA
POWER TRAIN
THIS IS MY SECOND 2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE FIRST ONE WAS NEVER REGISTERED, BUT WAS DEFECTIVE ON THE DEALER'S SHOWROOM FLOOR. THIS SECOND MOTORCYCLE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE FIRST. NOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED THIS RECALL, I WAS TOLD THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY TIME AND THAT IT WAS TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR IMMEDIATE REPAIR. UPON CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT PAY TO HAVE THE MOTORCYCLE PICKED UP NOR WOULD THEY REFUND MY MONEY OR ALLOW A FULL CREDIT TRADE TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE. A LETTER TO YAMAHA CORPORATE OFFICE, DATED DECEMBER 4, 2015 YIELDED A RESPONSE ON JANUARY 15, 2016 THAT SAID YAMAHA IS PROUD OF IT HERITAGE AND QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP. MY MOTORCYCLE HAS ONLY 56 MILES ON IT. I WANT A FULL REFUND, A NEW MOTORCYCLE, OR FULL VALUE TOWARDS ANOTHER. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU.
NHTSA complaint #10823879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 56 milesNeedham, MA
ENGINE
THIS IS MY SECOND 2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE FIRST ONE WAS NEVER REGISTERED, BUT WAS DEFECTIVE ON THE DEALER'S SHOWROOM FLOOR. THIS SECOND MOTORCYCLE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE FIRST. NOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED THIS RECALL, I WAS TOLD THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY TIME AND THAT IT WAS TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR IMMEDIATE REPAIR. UPON CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT PAY TO HAVE THE MOTORCYCLE PICKED UP NOR WOULD THEY REFUND MY MONEY OR ALLOW A FULL CREDIT TRADE TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE. A LETTER TO YAMAHA CORPORATE OFFICE, DATED DECEMBER 4, 2015 YIELDED A RESPONSE ON JANUARY 15, 2016 THAT SAID YAMAHA IS PROUD OF IT HERITAGE AND QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP. MY MOTORCYCLE HAS ONLY 56 MILES ON IT. I WANT A FULL REFUND, A NEW MOTORCYCLE, OR FULL VALUE TOWARDS ANOTHER. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU.
NHTSA complaint #10823879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 56 milesNeedham, MA
SERVICE BRAKES
THIS IS MY SECOND 2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1 MOTORCYCLE. THE FIRST ONE WAS NEVER REGISTERED, BUT WAS DEFECTIVE ON THE DEALER'S SHOWROOM FLOOR. THIS SECOND MOTORCYCLE WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE FIRST. NOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED THIS RECALL, I WAS TOLD THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT ANY TIME AND THAT IT WAS TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR IMMEDIATE REPAIR. UPON CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT PAY TO HAVE THE MOTORCYCLE PICKED UP NOR WOULD THEY REFUND MY MONEY OR ALLOW A FULL CREDIT TRADE TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF ANOTHER MOTORCYCLE. A LETTER TO YAMAHA CORPORATE OFFICE, DATED DECEMBER 4, 2015 YIELDED A RESPONSE ON JANUARY 15, 2016 THAT SAID YAMAHA IS PROUD OF IT HERITAGE AND QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP. MY MOTORCYCLE HAS ONLY 56 MILES ON IT. I WANT A FULL REFUND, A NEW MOTORCYCLE, OR FULL VALUE TOWARDS ANOTHER. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU.
NHTSA complaint #10823879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Post Falls, ID
POWER TRAIN
2015 YAMAHA YZF-R1. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO NOT ENOUGH HAS BEEN DONE TO REMEDY THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT RECALL NOTICE PROBLEMS. *SMD
NHTSA complaint #10838270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 1,000 milesDuarte, CA
POWER TRAIN
MY NEW VEHICLE PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER, 2015, HAS A DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSION THAT MAY CAUSE IT TO LOCK UP AT SPEED. THE MANUFACTURER'S FIX IS TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER FOR A COMPLETE ENGINE TEARDOWN ALTHOUGH TECHNICIANS ARE NOT TRAINED TO PERFORM THIS TYPE OF PROCESS. THE ESTIMATED TIME TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH A DEALER DUE TO YAMAHA CORP. NOT RELEASING PARTS IS TWO MONTHS. WHEN I CALLED YAMAHA TO ASK THEM TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK SO THAT MAY PURCHASE A TROUBLE-FREE VEHICLE WAS, "THIS IS YOUR VEHICLE, YOUR PROBLEM. GET IT TO THE DEALER AT YOUR CONVENIENCE AND NO OTHER SOLUTION CAN BE OFFERED. CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT WAS VERY UNSYMPATHETIC TO MY ISSUE AND SAID, " YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE ASKING FOR AN EXCHANGE BUT CAN'T BE DONE...PERIOD" I TOLD HIM, I AM NOT ASKING FOR A HAND OUT, ONLY WANT MY MONIES WORTH AND A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT COMPROMISED BY MECHANICAL ISSUES AND A MECHANICAL FIX THAT MAY PRODUCE ONGOING ISSUES IN THE FUTURE AS THIS PROCEDURE IS A MAJOR FIX THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE OTHER PROBLEMS AFTER THE INITIAL QUICK FIX. I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LACK OF CONCERN FOR MY TIME AND MONEY. THIS IS THE REASON WHY I BOUGHT A NEW UNIT AND NOT A USED ONE, TO AVOID ANY ISSUES BUT HERE I AM DOING SO AFTER SPENDING 18K FOR A NEW VEHICLE. I NEED HELP AS I CANNOT AFFORD TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE'S SCHEDULE ALLOW TIME TO HELP ME. I WANT MY MONIES WORTH OR HAVE YAMAHA TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK SO I CAN PURCHASE A MORE RELIABLE ONE. THANK YOU.
NHTSA complaint #10811092 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 230 milesKingsport, TN
POWER TRAIN
AFTER HEARING RUMORS ABOUT A TRANSMISSION RECALL ON THE 2015 YAMAHA R1 MOTORCYCLES, I RECEIVED MY RECALL LETTER IN THE MAIL. YAMAHA STATES THAT 2ND, 3RD AND 4TH TRANSMISSION GEARS WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO DEFORMATION/BREAKAGE. I JUST RECENTLY PURCHASED THE BIKE (LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AGO) AND I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH A BRAND NEW $16,000 MOTORCYCLE WITH 230 MILES ON IT BEING TORN APART AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THESE ENGINES ARE BUILT IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WITH CALIBRATED TOOLS, THIS WILL NOT BE THE CASE DURING A REBUILD FROM A LOCAL SHOP. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO TO THE RESALE VALUE OF THE BIKE. IN THE MEAN TIME I AM MAKING PAYMENTS ON A BIKE THAT I CANNOT RIDE.
NHTSA complaint #10810092 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.