2003 Yamaha Road Star Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Road Star years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 105 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Yamaha Road Star. That is the most of any Road Star model year in the database (11 years). The most reported problem area is power train (100 complaints, 95%), typically at around 4,000 miles. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 105owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Yamaha Road Star problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 100 | 95% | 4,000 | “concerning transmission” (41%) | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% | 44,250 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 1,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Yamaha Road Star recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:manual transmission
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 their website at www.yamaha-motor.com.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Unintended rear wheel lockup (PE03038) — opened Aug 11, 2003, closed Nov 6, 2003, led to recall 03V309000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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. Updated…
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…
Consumer received recall 03v309000 concerning transmission failure. Consumer had the recall notice since january, and dealer had not received the parts as of yet.*ak
Other Yamaha Road Star years
← 2002 Road Star · 2004 Road Star →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Road Star | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 Road Star | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 Road Star | 7 | 0 |
| 2006 Road Star | 3 | 0 |
| 2005 Road Star | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 Road Star | 21 | 0 |
| 2003 | 105 | 1 |
| 2002 Road Star | 87 | 1 |
| 2001 Road Star | 57 | 2 |
| 2000 Road Star | 18 | 1 |
| 1999 Road Star | 15 | 1 |
See all Yamaha Road Star problems by year, every Yamaha model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Yamaha models
Embed this 2003 Yamaha Road Star badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Yamaha Road Star?
Owners most often report power train, suspension, air bags problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 100 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Yamaha Road Star?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Yamaha Road Star a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Road Star model years, the 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.